Diagnosis: Needs Ramen
by AngelChaosGuardian
Summary: There is always a medical explanation for everything. Hinata's problem was no exception.
1. HalfFull

Author's Note: I do not own Naruto. But all Original characters are mine.

The summer air was starting to get hot for the many people of the village of Konohagakure. The temperature of the Hokage's office was scorching hot causing Shizune to remove her robe and stay in her black shorts and shirt with the fishnet cover.

Tsunade was ignoring the temperature which was required to keep formal with the meeting she was having with the head of the Hyuuga clan Hiashi. She didn't care much for the man but currently he was discussing the problems of certain clan members disgracing him, along with the other problems he had observed with the village.

"Hokage-sama I know you must be growing tired of my continual complaining, and since you haven't already requested me to do so I will come to my point which I asked you here for, as you're aware it is clear that my first daughter has a crush on the nine tails container Uzumaki Naruto."

Tsunade's kind nature started to wane since she didn't like it when people spoke of Naruto as if he were nothing more than a cage for a powerful demon and not human at all.

"Please keep in mind Hiashi-sama that I don't take it well when someone insults any member of this village regardless of their name or class" she spoke with light venom hidden under her words.

"Hokage-sama I haven't asked for your council because I am seeking to insult Uzumaki, but I wished to confide in you the problems of Hinata's well being given her constant fainting when in his proximity" he spoke treating the issue with indifference.

"Hinata's fainting hasn't been seen as a weakness by either her or her team" Tsunade countered knowing Hiashi could be asking for removal of his daughter from their clan if he so wished.

"This is true Hokage-sama, however I am concerned with the success of her missions while she has been on the same team as Uzumaki Naruto" he smiled knowing she couldn't argue the issue because he knew the information of Hinata's past missions and currently with Naruto on her team only one of their past four missions actually ended in success.

Tsunade smirked feeling defeated but didn't want to back down from this little confrontation but realized she didn't have any weapon to throw back at the Hyuuga. "Therefore I am requesting having Hinata removed from all missions with Uzumaki Naruto"

Tsunade took a moment to collect herself knowing the Hyuuga wasn't going to back down but couldn't make such a compensation for Hiashi or any person for that matter. It was her duty as Hokage to place the best shinobi on a team to complete the mission.

"I'm sorry Hyuuga-sama but I can't do that"

Hiashi sighed showing a rare piece of emotion to Tsunade but decided to tell her his only other option since she didn't take his offer to fix things.

"In that case Hokage-sama I am forced to remove my daughter from Shinobi status to prevent her potential injury and disgrace of my clan"

Tsunade gritted her teeth she didn't want Hinata to be removed from her status as a ninja, yes she was a shy girl and a little timid at times, but she was strong and starting to come into becoming a reliable medic nin.

"Hiashi-sama, do you believe that will resolve the problem of your daughter fainting when around Naruto?"

Hiashi closed his eyes for a moment as if truly making up his mind, and came to the same conclusion.

"I'm sorry Hokage-sama but my daughter will be removed from our clans Shinobi register" he said rising and reaching the door.

"What if I could eliminate the fainting which is affecting Hinata than? Would you allow her to remain a shinobi?" she asked but realized she couldn't keep herself from sounding a bit desperate.

"You'd have greater chance making her a strong Konochi Hokage-sama" stated Hiashi seeming completely unconvinced anything could be done to make his daughter have worth

"I'm sorry to surprise you Lord Hyuuga" she stated partly mocking his title.

"But your daughter isn't a weak female or ninja"

Hiashi shook his head not believing a word coming from the Hokage.

"There isn't anything you can do to change her Hokage-sama"

Tsunade smirked but spoke well before she had fully thought things through since her gambling issue came back full force.

"Would you be willing to bet on that?" she asked with a smile

Hiashi raised his eyebrow partly not seeming interested by any means, or at least he didn't appear to be. Hiashi thought for a moment on the problem of a man of his rank making a bet like a child, but he knew Tsunade was renowned for being the "legendary sucker" having her owe him had its perks.

"What are your conditions Hokage-sama?"

Tsunade's face paled...what? She didn't actually expect the stern and village known emotionless man to agree to her provocation of a bet but now she was certainly in over her head...why hadn't she learned anything from being in debt to all those casinos.

"The terms Hokage-sama?" Hiashi asked again and Tsunade still couldn't come to voice any sort of conditions.

"Alright than I shall make the terms, in one year you are to cure Hinata of her fainting, and if you can accomplish that I also require she can complete successfully five missions with Uzumaki in her team."

Tsunade felt her mouth go dry she was to cure Hinata and also get her to complete missions with Naruto? How could she accomplish that? She smiled feeling the thrill of gambling come back over her and wash away the doubt.

"Fine, when I accomplish that you must allow Hinata to date and marry anyone she chooses" she smiled seeing the Hyuuga take that shot hard since he knew if he lost. He would end up related to Uzumaki Naruto...but he doubted it could be accomplished since his daughter had been this way even when she was in her single years.

"What would you like if you win Hyuuga-sama?" asked Tsunade happy when she got a emotion out of the man

Hiashi thought for a moment what could he get out of this to help not only himself but his clan?

"Hokage-sama, when I win all issues of my clan will resolved solely by me clan head, you will have no say in any more of our practices." he smirked feeling that would be best allowing him more control over his clan and family

Hiashi reached out his hand taking the Hokage's hand and giving a formal handshake to seal the deal with Shizune who was staring wide eyed at her Sensei making such an unreasonable bet.

Hiashi left the office after giving Tsunade a bow.

"Best of luck Hokage-sama" he said with fake sincerity as he left Tsunade to absorb the magnitude of her bet she had made recklessly

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune shouted getting out her built up shock in one giant scream.

"Shizune it's alright, please send out Izumo to request Hinata's presence, also I want you to make sure our "Special" doctor is on standby because this is going to be a terrible year" She groaned finding her sake bottle and pouring a glass.

"Tsunade-sama! Don't drink that" yelled Shizune pulling the cup away from his sensei's wanting hands.

Tsunade blinked at Shizune a few times before giving her a guilty look. "Your right" she replied and instead downed the entire bottle.

*V* the Next Day

Hinata sat in a chair of the Hokage tower, crossing her legs every so often and pushing her index fingers together. She had no idea why she had been called in for a meeting, she was sure there hadn't been any complaints about her from her last missions. Not to mention, Shino-kun, and Kiba-kun would've been summoned also if there had been a mission about to be assigned. She began to rub her hands in despair wondering if maybe there had been some displeasure with her work, she knew her abilities weren't at par with other chunnin, but she felt she made at minimum a competent Konochi.

"Hinata-sama, Tsunade-sama is ready to see you" Shizune chimed bringing her head just partly out between the doors to see her.

Hinata rose feeling the worry of her mind slowly drip down into her stomach giving her a nauseous feeling. She did her best to ignore it, and entered through the doors to see a rather disgruntled looking Hokage surrounded by a small mountain of paperwork.

"If this job gets any more stressful, I think I might start looking my age" sighed the blonde as she took another small shot of sake to steady herself for the rest of the morning.

"Um Hokage-sama?" whispered the Hyuuga trying her best to located said Kage's face amongst the quantity of white around her.

Tsunade looked up from the bane of her existence to spot the young Hyuuga female, she gave a big smile seeing her.

"Hello Hinata, I am glad that you were able to meet with me on such short notice" she said getting around her desk carefully to avoid any fatal paper avalanches.

"Um, wh… is it I can do Hokage-sama?" stuttered the shy girl doing her best to appear brave when she was clueless to the impending situation.

Tsunade had to sigh at the girl's innocence, sure the female was one of their best Konochi at the moment, but given her constant fainting around a certain blonde haired idiot it hindered her combat effectiveness when on missions with him. Besides making her move the first day of her yearlong bet was the best course of action.

"Hinata, I will be honest with you, currently I am very satisfied with the successfulness of your missions, and also in your abilities to complete the objectives you're given. However, there is an issue of your fainting which needs to be discussed."

Hinata gulped down hard, did Tsunade-sama know about her feelings for Naruto-kun? And if so was she going to force her into telling him her feelings? She was undecided in if that would be a good or bad thing. She loved the hyperactive blonde with all her heart and more, but she wasn't ready yet to confess to him, after all when she looked into his eyes, it felt like she was being swallowed up by those two beautiful cerulean oceans.

"Tsunade-sama….I…I…Well…the…reason"

"It's alright Hinata, I already know how you feel about Naruto, and there are few that don't except for that boy himself. But the reason I have called you here is to help you with your fainting."

Hinata felt bad that so many people knew about her affections for said ninja, but felt relief in the fact no one had blurted out her secret to him since it was her own to tell him when she was good and ready. But what hanged on her mind heavily was if there was truly a way to help with her fainting.

"Now Hinata, since I am Hokage of this village I am only allowed to be at the hospital if there is a medical emergency to be taken care of. That is why I am going to have a certain doctor do your exam, he is a bit of a strange person however, I have yet to see him be wrong about an aliment of a villager or ninja." She said while going back to her desk to write a note on a piece of paper.

She handed the note to the Hyuuga, while giving her a big grin.

"Here go to the hospital now, and this will get that man off his lazy ass to help you" she said with a sigh trying her hardest not even to mention said ninja's name.

"Thank you Hokage-sama" she whispered and gave a deep bow before slowly turning to leave.

"Hinata"

"Hai!" she yelped still having a sliver of dread on her mind.

"I know that boy can be thickheaded to no end, but don't give up on him" she smiled hoping that one day Naruto would be able to realize how much the Hyuuga female loved him.

"Hai" Hinata giggled happy that the Hokage was rooting for her.

Tsunade felt her smile drop once the girl had left, sure she was happy to be helping the shy Hyuuga but the fact she was doing it for settling a personal bet wasn't sitting well with her. She sighed deeply feeling guilty, but knew that if she could get that hyperactive knucklehead to open his eyes to the Hyuuga it would be well worth this stress. That and seeing Hiashi Hyuuga pale in knowing Hinata would one day make him a father in law to Naruto would be priceless.

*V* HOSPITAL

Hinata entered slowly through the sliding doors of the large five story hospital, she had been there numerous times before due to naruto's constant admittance, so finding the reception desk was no problem for her. She was glad to see that the atmosphere about the place was calm, because it was barely noon so the rush of genins and chunnins wouldn't start until then.

"Excuse me" she whispered holding out a note for the black haired receptionist to take, all the while trying to keep her confidence as a Hyuuga about herself.

The women turned a bored stare to the girl, than noticed the tiny piece of paper with the Hokage's seal placed on it. She read it slowly, than reached over with a disgusted look.

"Taro, paging doctor Taro there is a patient waiting for you in room 237, Hokage's orders." She groaned than went back to her near sleep state waving her hand for Hinata to leave.

"Thank you" she smiled leaving to her assigned room. The examination rooms always made her feel so uncomfortable, they were all plain white on each wall, and the only thing to look at were the diagrams of human anatomy.

*V*

On the other side of the hospital one of the examinations rooms was occupied with the small red tag above the door set so others wouldn't disturb the person inside. The man inside sat peacefully with a large drawing board placed in front of him. He was nearly six foot with black hair cut short and pushed back; he wore the traditional doctor's coat along with his normal all black outfit of a shirt, pants, and sandals. His eyes were the most interesting thing about him since one was entirely white and the other was pure black. He slowly felt a smile spread across his features putting the finishing touches on another of his pieces of art. A pounding knock came at the door forcing the man to sigh and continue as if nothing had occurred. The knocking soon turned into heated pounding making the door splinter.

"Open up the damn door taro, everyone knows already that you hide in here" he heard the wail of the banshee he knew as Sakura Haruno, it was all because of her his life's work wouldn't be completed at least not anytime soon.

"You know this is exactly why you have trouble finding a person in your life…your just too noisy" he sighed sitting up and placing a blind over his black colored right eye.

He rose and opened the door seeing a fuming pinked haired female standing there with her fist pulled back and ready to demolish both door and person hiding behind it.

"hello there" he said knowing already she wouldn't punch him, at least not in the face because of his blood limit which he hated though it had gotten him this steady job and kept him off all active ninja duty because the damn Hokage had found out about him. But just because he was stuck playing personal physician at the Kage's whim didn't mean he had to be kind or respectful to anyone.

"Tsunade-sama has ordered you to see someone about a special condition, make sure you are nice to her she isn't exactly as thick skinned as you Tar…o" she commented noticing the large picture he had been working on…her moment of admiration suddenly turned into a flare of disgust noticing a shapely naked female drawn on the sketchpad, but didn't appreciate that he placed her face on said body.

"WHAT THE HELL!?" she screamed dashing past Taro and obliterating his drawing with a single punch, than smashing it into even finer pieces for good measure.

Taro only blinked a few times wondering what said female was so stressed out about and given her emotional stability at the moment he figured it be best to catch the chart she was going to hand him and left his examine room.

*V*

Hinata sat back on the little exam bed waiting for her specialist to arrive, but no more than ten minutes passed before she heard a doctor who she deeply hoped wasn't hers.

"I don't care if the Hokage got on her knees and begged me, this doesn't seem like an interesting patient at all" he near shouted loud enough for her to hear quite clearly.

"You're a doctor in this village, so do what the Hokage ordered of you, Taro" shouted back the all to familiar pink haired girl's voice which seemed even more wrathful than normal.

"Fine, fine the sooner I am done here the faster I can get back to my work which you destroyed" he muttered outside the door.

"You were drawing naked women how is it possible you even consider that work?" she demanded surprised with this man's laziness and lack of shame.

"I meant my life's work, Sakura-chan maybe you couldn't stand seeing the perfect body I put your head on considering the deflated chest and the lack of shapely parts" he stated openly insulting her thinking there being no reason to fear said female.

*SMACK* *SMACK* *SMACK* *SMACK*

"Dammit!, alright I'll do it just stop hitting me" echoed through the rooms of the hospital making Hinata sweat drop at the fact this was the man who would examine her?

The door slowly opened to reveal doctor Taro rubbing his cheeks which were all red on both sides.

He slowly stuck his head outside the door.

"Oh sakura…I saw a child yesterday who had bigger breasts than you" he half sang in a mocking tone, pulling his head suddenly in as it sounded like something had just crashed down the hallway.

"She definitely has the fighting spirit of a guy, must be why she can hit like one" he commented not caring who it was inside the room.

"Hello" said Hinata trying to be polite despite the urge she was feeling about this man openly insulting everyone he seemed to come into contact with.

"Hmm" he stated opening her chart and reading off all the information inside on all her last visits.

"Lets see you've been admitted to the hospital a total of fifty-seven times, and they were for fainting, fainting, fainting, chakra exhaustion, fainting, chakra system damage, heart trauma, fainting, fainting…" he trailed off giving her a empty stare.

"Well it's nice to see you have other hobbies besides fainting" he stated with a laugh and slowly examined the rest of her documented history.

Hinata felt like blushing, she could admit that yes she fainted a lot, but the tone he used to examine her and calculate everything about her was dripping with disdain, it reminded her of every time she had to meet with the clan elders or her father.

"Excuse me Taro-san, but I am a ninja like many others of this village, so there are many reasons I would come to the hospital." She said feeling for once a tower of confidence fueled slightly by pent up anger from others looking down on her short comings

Taro ignored her completely flipping through her charts more,

"Have you been experiencing any weakness over say the past seven years?"

"Um…well…sometimes" she felt caught off guard by the now serious tone of this strange man.

"You haven't gained any weight in the past three years, and your chakra levels and physical stamina haven't shown any change despite changes in physical activity" he finished reaching for a thermometer and placing into the girl's mouth.

"Um" Hinata wanted to explain further only to have him cut her off more

"No talking otherwise the reading is false" he smiled seeming like a nice person.

Hinata gave a small sigh feeling like maybe she misjudged this man a bit based on just his first impression. That thought was soon discarded once she saw the device wasn't even on.

"Um the thermometer is off" she mumbled to him only to see him leaning back and putting his feet up on the table top.

"I know I just use that to keep people quiet so I can think, it really aggravates me when my thoughts are interrupted by meaningless talk" he yawned seeming too bored to care almost as if he knew the answer to a question that wasn't asked yet.

Hinata felt for once in her whole life actual anger, this man had no respect for his position, or for the fact he was dealing with someone else's health, yet he acted like it didn't matter.

Taro sighed deeply as he scratched his head once again deep in thought about his current patient, there was one simple explanation and yet this girl and no one else had caught it.

"Hinata, you come from a wealthy and high class clan, therefore I would be correct in saying that your family has limited the amount of food you could eat since the day you could process solid food" he stared at her now and his white eye fully exposed and focused on her.

"Um hai" she said shocked that he knew about what their clan did, since it was a secret diet they were put on to help them grow properly. "I um…why is your eye white?" she asked feeling nervous under his stare due to the unnatural appearance he possessed, that and she wanted somehow to stop him from prying into her personal life.

Taro blinked with his visible eye and didn't seem too shocked to have another person question the damn blood limit that made him look like a freak, he hated that it was last ninja war which left him with the heightened form of his doujutsu.

"Lets just say it makes me have a easier time doing my job, however that isn't important Hyuuga-san" he smiled trying to ignore her question it was bad enough his left eye could allow him to know who was sick and with what. While his other he didn't like to talk about.

Taro rubbed his head, then suddenly laughed at how simple this was to fix. He was going to make extra sure to rub this is Tsunade's face next time he got to see her.

"What is it that is so amusing about my health?" asked Hinata now a little worried at how fast this man's personality shifted.

"You have a very rare condition Hinata, and it explains also all you're fainting. You have what's called Body Blanking."

He noted how Hinata's pale lavender eyes exploded, she had been sick for so long yet no one had noticed.

"What does that mean if I have it!?" she was shocked feeling her hands going numb with fear.

"Calm down you're not going to die." He rolled his eyes, why did every patient get so wound tight when they were told they had something?

"You have fainted due to both lack of calories necessary to run you physical needs and blood rushing to your head when blushing, it's the reason why you haven't gained or lost weight in the past three years, and also explains your lack of adequate chakra reserves since when a ninja's body starts to starve it will feed off chakra as a emergency supply of energy." He stated matter of factly going through his pocket to pull out a medicine order form.

"I…I…What?" said the Hyuuga looking down both confused and filled with tidal waves of different emotions.

"Your body needs more food is the bottom line, and since your family limited you to a certain amount of it every meal, you were essential being starved to death also poisoning your effectiveness as a shinobi. But just take thirty of these and come back in for a check-up in a month."

He ripped off a sheet from his prescription notepad placing said piece of paper on the counter top to his side. Taro began to leave but halted coming back and taking the thermometer out of Hinata's mouth and leaving.

"Have a good day Hyuuga-san" he smiled leaving without another word.

*V*

Taro left the room giving a massive sigh of aggravation as he left to the main reception area his full black eye still covered. He stopped noticing a chunnin being brought in on a stretcher with a kunai imbedded in the right side of his chest more than likely piercing his lung. He took a quick glimpse at the man and immediately knew what was wrong, a pierced lung, and a partially severed pulmonary artery. He gave a small look of displeasure and removed his eye patch and opened his right eye to the scene. He blinked twice at the current situation and left without a single word.

'Three…two….one' he thought to himself as he exited the hospital

"He has no Pulse!" yelled the nurse taking the man away to the emergency room in hopes of reviving him…unknowing he had already passed on.

*V*

Hinata blinked feeling both naked and insulted, but she out of respect for Tsunade's choice in a physician took the note and gave a set of bulged eyes at the medical note, which she now saw had a thousand yen placed on the back.

Ichiraku ramen shop, thirty orders of ramen, for lunch and dinner if needed, patient is to eat until completely stuffed not satisfied.

Hinata blinked a few times then gave a full sigh; the least she could do was humor this strange diagnosis.


	2. Treatment

**Diagnosis: Needs Ramen**

**Chapter 2**

Many strange things had been seen in Konoha over the years, there had been rumors among the female populations that Kakashi had actually shown his face to a few lucky individuals. There were even reports that Anko had blushed, like an embarrassed girl, when talking to certain men; but the current oddity blew all the others away.

Hyuuga Hinata sat quietly at the ramen bar, already starting on her seventh bowl of miso ramen. She wasn't sure how to feel about the current situation, but so far she felt like she was a bottomless pit. When at the Hyuuga compound she only ate enough to sedate her hunger, but now that there wasn't anyone else around and she didn't need to pay for it, she was testing how much she did in fact eat until full.

Ayame blinked a few times, remembering the girl from previous visits to the stand. She normally

only came when Naruto had brought her in. Ayame couldn't understand what had changed so drastically in the girl to make her eat so much, normally she only ate half a bowl and apologized when she couldn't eat the rest. However, she seemed to remind her of Naruto at the moment with the quantity of broth and noodles she was putting down without any signs of stopping.

Hinata took a look up to see Ayame staring at her, and this only caused the Hyuuga to blush and turn her head down to her bowl of ramen. It wasn't her fault this had happened, though it made her feel like she was doing something inappropriate; since she was always told a woman shouldn't eat excessively. She took a moment to examine the consumed number of bowls, so far the count was just nearing ten.

'How can I not feel full,' she wondered, looking down at her stomach, confused as to where exactly the food was going.

Ayame came to the counter top to clean up the remains, but couldn't help staring while she lifted the dishes away. It wasn't really common to have anyone beside Naruto consuming a week's worth of ramen in one sitting. This only caused the Hyuuga to redden more, if possible, with each bite and napkin wipe of the broth from her lips. There didn't seem to be any difference in how she was feeling, her state wasn't better or worse. She was beginning to wonder if maybe this was just a joke that doctor Taro had thrown together for a quick laugh, considering what she'd learned from meeting him for a small time. It didn't inspire much confidence in him not doing such a thing. She felt like it couldn't get any worse for her; she merely pushed the whole thousand ryu notes onto the counter top.

"Ayame-san, can I have seven bowls of miso ramen this time," she asked

"Okay, Hinata-chan," she replied and took the currency from the table all the while juggling the sliding ceramics.

*V*

Naruto felt wonderful for what he had just put himself through. His morning training had advanced over his time back in the village. He always kept his basic workout of stretching and running around the village five times to just get loosened up. He just recently started to work on his chakra control and he felt the ache of success all over. But training never got him down, because it was the treat of ramen after training that always made any harm done well worth it. He was gliding through the air jumping off the clustered rooftops of the village homes, making steady progress to his noodle and broth goal.

'Ah, you're beautiful,' he thought staring up at the Ichiraku ramen shop store sign, quickly wiping his sleeve across his forehead.

He pushed open the flaps, which obscured his sight into the shop; when he removed the object from his view he couldn't contain the joy which boiled from him. Inside was a sight he couldn't fully comprehend, he felt the new sensation start in his heart and rocket up into his brain making him start to feel dizzy. Before him was a girl with long black hair, sitting alone at the bar of the ramen shop; beside her was a tower of empty bowls. Naruto wasn't one to be easily captivated by a female, but the girl from what he could see was well shaped, and loving ramen was indeed a plus as far as he was concerned.

'Where have you been hiding in this village,' he shouted mentally, since his mind was currently failing in translating thoughts to words.

The blonde swallowed hard, cautiously approaching the female before him, just in case he scared her back into hiding.

"Hello, Naruto-kun, what would you like today," asked Ayame as she returned from the kitchen with the first four bowls of her miso ramen order.

Naruto felt his heart sink and his face pale; all his work to be stealthy was completely wasted. He had to hold his breath and plaster on a smile, trying to appear less disappointed with the current situation.

Hinata jumped, feeling her entire being shake from the core of her bones to the tips of her toes. Naruto-kun was directly behind her…why is it she had the worse luck and he showed up when she was the most embarrassed with what she was doing.

'Please don't sit by me…please, Naruto-kun, don't come and talk with me,' she whispered to herself to keep the dizziness caused by the blush she felt in her cheeks from making her drown in her own ramen.

"Heya, Ayame-chan, the usual I guess...," Naruto said as he sat down next to the female who he still didn't recognize.

"Hey I haven't seen you in the village before?"

He took the stool next to her giving his biggest smile, which he always used when greeting someone new.

'He doesn't know it's me,' she wondered, but abruptly understood why.

Hinata wasn't wearing her jacket! She had made it a priority to not wear it when she ate in hopes of not getting anything on it since it was hand wash only. She looked like she was infatuated with the floor, despite the warm food that had just arrived and was waiting for her to consume.

Naruto didn't think she was embarrassed; but immediately due to years of persecution from the villagers, he believed he had done something wrong.

'Great, now I've gone and terrified her,' he thought while reaching out and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"You alright," he asked when he saw her start to tremble; a single touch did wonders on changing the way she was acting.

She had been perfectly fine, well not perfectly, but she had managed to keep from going into a controlled coma considering how hot and red her face had gotten. But it was the feeling of a firm, warm hand from her one and only placed on her shoulder that brought every drop of blood into her head.

'He's touching me,' she mentally screamed darting her head up to make eye contact with those serene cerulean orbs.

The pair shared a look of shock, both with different reasons as to why they were so freaked out.

'Hi..Hinata,' Naruto thought, confused as to how he could've not noticed, making a comparison between a jacketed her and a non-jacketed her in his head.

'Why haven't I fainted,' she thought while keeping wide eyes at her crush.

How was it possible she was embarrassed by him seeing her without her jacket, excessively eating, and touching her, yet she remained conscious?

It was a bitter sweet mix of emotions for the Hyyuga female. The miracle of being conscious was warming to her heart, but now she faced a terrible problem that never before was evident.

'What do I say to him,' she thought while feeling the sickness of her stomach sliding down her insides and making her feel both disappointed and disgusted with herself.

Naruto was still trying to recover from his initial shock of being dazzled by an unknown female and it being a friend from his genin class. Recovery was slow for them, but the blonde haired man was first to attempt easing the peculiar situation.

"Hinata…its um…great to see you," he smiled, figuring it would put her at ease.

Hinata couldn't find the strength to reply as she just nodded, giving a hum to show she acknowledged his words. He took his seat at the stool to her right, the silence returned. Neither wished to look the other in the face or speak a word.

It was unknown to the ninja, but Ayame and her father Teuchi had stopped their business of cooking to watch the two interact with each other. They too were confused that Hinata had not fainted into her food, and the tension in the air about the two ninja was powerful enough to cause a pull in the attention of the few customers inside and out.

She didn't want to interfere with the situation; on the other hand, though her father owed most of his business to the hyperactive blonde, they owed him enough to help out with his possible love interest. She took a prepared bowl of pork ramen to the counter top, placing it gently on the table to alleviate the problem.

"Here you are, Naruto-kun," she said while turning back to her hiding place in the kitchen and rejoining her father in information gathering.

Naruto sighed off the strangeness, reaching to his left to get a pair of chopstick from the holder.

He wasn't paying attention to the proximity between himself and the pale eyed female. She was focused on nothing more than their closeness. Her eyes widened the next instant as the soft hand of her beloved found itself resting atop her right hand.

Time stood still as the shy girl wished with all her heart she could just faint to escape the situation, yet her usually compliant body refused to help her. A second passed and her self-restraint and mental stability hit its limit, forcing her to react, which was something she wished hadn't happened.

Naruto turned his head, seeing a hand retract from his grasp; his mind didn't get a moment to contemplate why she was acting in such a way, when a steaming hot bowl of ramen found its way to his lap.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH," he yelped, jumping up and patting at the inferno in his crotch.

Hinata didn't realize, until it was too late, that she had brought both hands up to push Naruto away from her. Unfortunately, she had forgotten about her left hand securing the ramen bowl, which she dumped on him accidentally.

She didn't stop for a moment as she proceeded with the first actions that popped in her mind. She grabbed her jacket and ran out of the shop leaving Naruto to fend for his own lap. She got several feet out of the door before returning out of her proper upbringing.

"GOMEN," she shrieked, leaving in a cloud of dust.

"GAH! I HATE RAMEN….In my lap," came the resounding screeching sound of Naruto.

With tears in his eyes, he pulled a stack of napkins from the counter and soaked up the remaining fluid threatening to incinerate his ninja equipment. Ayame came out offering the injured man a cold wet cloth.

'That didn't go well,' she thought while handing over the item, praying it would ease the flesh wound.

*V*

Hinata felt down, even saying she was depressed would be an understatement of how she felt considering how her lunch with Naruto-kun went. She was surprised that her body hadn't forced her to faint again. That was something she normally would feel proud of, but accidentally spilling her hot bowl of ramen into her loves lap didn't sit well with her.

'It was just a simple accident. Naruto-kun probably won't be angry about it, or at me,' she kept telling herself, in hopes it would make things true.

But she surely doubted it. She knew Naruto constantly forgave others, she could only pray he would do that again in this case; though most others he forgave didn't try and scald him in a place that she also hoped wasn't hurt badly.

She continued her walk back to compound in a sad state, hoping somehow the sun would go down faster, or she would awaken to a new day and this was just a terrible nightmare. She came to the compound doors waiting patiently for the guards to open them for her; the obstacle parted allowing her access to her home. She took a few steps inside, keeping her facial expression neutral while focusing on the ground.

"Your punctuality needs improvement Hinata-sama," said her cousin Neji while resting against the wall still wearing his pure white gi.

'My punctuality…,' she froze as she remembered she had been sparring with Neji for several months now and was over two hours late due to her eating and doctor's appointment.

"Gomen, Neji-san, I…there was…something," she started to stammer only to feel insignificant under the calculating eye of her older cousin.

"Hinata-sama, skipping your training isn't advisable given your current skill level," he stated while looking at her with emotionless eyes.

"Hai," she replied, because it was better he just think she was avoiding training instead of eating like a starving child and embarrassing herself with Naruto-kun.

"Fortunately, I completed my own training while you were off. There is still enough time for our spar."

She didn't want to suffer anymore especially with training, but now it was unavoidable. The least she could do would be to start the spar and let Neji bruise her quickly so she could sulk in her room. They made their way to the other side of the compound, finding the dirt training ring where all the main house clan members prepared themselves.

They shared a formal bow before lowering into their family fighting stance. Hinata gulped in preparation. She wasn't a bad user of the gentle fist; but Neji, being a genius, was still levels ahead of her.

"Byakugan," they said together before racing towards the other.

Neji was the first to strike, knowing he had the advantage of strength and speed so he needed to attack first to ensure a victory.

"Prepare yourself, Hinata-sama," he whispered, planning on taking it extra hard on her for trying to avoid training.

It was best, after all, he do a little bodily harm to her rather than her getting killed due to her lax skill. Neji charged at her striking with both of his palms trying to shut down the tenketsu points in her chest. Hinata was prepared to defend, swiftly countering her cousin's blows with two of her own, both precise, and directly slapping Neji's wrists outward. He withdrew from the combat, staying low and circling around her to recollect himself.

'She blocked my attack, and countered at the same time,' he thought while dually noting the numbness tingling at his fingertips.

Hinata felt nervous and annoyed at the same time, given what just occurred. She never hit Neji unless he was letting her. She frowned at the edge of her lips, doing something bizarre. She charged to attack.

Neji's eyes were usually emotionless, however, for a split second she was sure she noticed them widened in surprise. He lowered his stance to better defend and focused solely on blocking to see if she was learning from their training. Hinata didn't hesitate to strike; she was going to see if Neji was letting her win. Neji was deflecting her hands to the side, looking for an opening to land a key blow against her. He smirked as he saw the opening in her last strike. When she led with her left hand there was a delay in her right.

'Now,' he thought while coming up with his right hand.

Hinata leaned back, letting his attack pass by her chin while using her forward right foot as a pivot and spun around with a sweep kick. Neji jumped, but wasn't too happy of his current situation when two hands came at him. He managed to dodge her slower left hand, but the right clipped his stomach.

Neji stumbled back, without flinching, to regain his balance and his fighting posture. His stomach was hurting, but that wasn't the only thing getting wounded during the combat.

'She's fighting on an equal level with me,' he thought questioningly while gritting his teeth at the current predicament.

"Neji-niisan, please stop taking it easy on me," Hinata said, trying her best to be serious, but wavering because of the surprise she felt in how well she was doing; Neji also seemed to be moving excruciatingly slow.

He didn't take another second to think about it. Hinata thought he was being lenient on her in their spar. It ate away at him since he couldn't have imagined shy Hinata-sama would mock his abilities. Neji furrowed his brow and rushed now using full strength.

They fought with even greater ferocity than the first match they had in the chunnin exam preliminaries.

However, Hinata wasn't the one being dominated during this match. She kept up with the older boy, making extra sure to dodge and defend before even thinking of attacking him.

It seemed to be an even match of gentle fist fighting ability, neither seemed to want to push away for a second's release. Hinata felt incredible, she couldn't believe she was keeping up with the Hyuuga prodigy - a proclaimed genius. She felt the need to smile at her latest success; the feeling was frank as she slipped on the loose sand the training ring was made of.

"Tiger palm strike," Neji whispered while focusing his chakra into his palm, ready to discharge it at the moment of impact. He knew full well it was a blow meant to cripple the body system by overloading the tenketsu points.

She didn't have any options to defend herself, it would be impossible to dodge given their proximity. She closed her eyes and extended her own hand putting enough chakra to hopefully cancel out one gentle fist strike with her own.

Neji blinked at the pain he felt in his entire arm. She had stopped one of his special techniques with a standard hit of her own? Hinata used all of her strength not to yelp at how much her arm hurt, she knew it was only a hand she stopped but it felt like a boulder by the strain she felt reverberating in her muscles.

Both retraced their injured limbs, each of them felt like they needed a moment to contemplate why they were taking a friendly match so seriously. They knew it was getting a little overboard.

Neji wasn't ready to call it quits though, he needed to make sure he wasn't weak, not to Hinata only to himself.

"Kaiten," he began to spin starting to form a ball of chakra around his body.

"Kaiten," resounded right back as Hinata also began the technique.

She had learned it from a family scroll during the three years Naruto was gone. She knew with her low chakra levels it was a gargantuan drain on her reserves, but between being hurt or exhausted she decided the later was best.

Two spiral orbs collided, ripping the dirt ground up and sending a cloud of dust into the air. A loud screeching sound of sharpened steel rubbing together filled the air due to friction between the high speed chakra waves. Just as soon as the screeching noise began it halted. Silence fell over the training area, not an insect, bird, or person dared to interrupt the silence after a powerful attack.

The dust cloud slowly settled to its rightful place on the ground. Within the artificial fog stood the Hyuuga's, both were worse for wear. They were both covered in a thin layer of dust that stained Neji's gi a dirty brown, and left Hinata's purple jacket with a tear down both arms.

The ground was torn; leaving circles about the safe areas the pair had performed their family technique. The only one remaining was the one Hinata stood in. Neji's wasn't in the place he started; his position had shifted backward thirty feet.

"That's enough for today, Hinata-sama," Neji said softly while hiding his need to breathe hard due to the exertion from such a technique.

Hinata blinked; surprised her cousin would let her end the combat so soon, though she did understand Neji was physically weakened already from his own training so he had to be near collapse. They shared a formal bow, ending their combat session. Neji shook his head and left, doing his best to make a b-line to his room. He steadied himself while walking at his normal pace so as not to draw attention from other family members. He slid his door open, slamming it just as rapidly as he opened it. He gave a burdened sigh while hidden from the all seeing eyes of his clan, and abruptly dropped to his knees feeling the flood of pain seep into his muscles triggering a firestorm of pain in his nerves.

'What the hell happened out there,' he thought back to the collision of his Kaiten against Hinata's. He didn't want to believe it, but something had changed over the time of them training together. There was now something different about her chakra.

*Five minute earlier*

He spun perfectly on the heel of his foot, spreading out chakra from every pore on his skin making a defensive orb about himself. He saw Hinata beginning to spin as well. He smirked, feeling confident in his own powers to force her weaker one back. Her technique was raw, she didn't spin fast enough or low enough to make an effective orb. It was adequate for deflecting kunai and arrow, however, to force an actual physical attack back it wasn't.

'Sorry, Hinata-sama, that technique won't work against mine,' he thought while heaving a small grunt of self satisfaction at winning this encounter. He didn't expect what occurred after, as the size of her orb began to expand greater than his own.

'She's forcing me back,' he gritted his teeth incredulously while spinning quicker, only reaching a new plateau of anger with his superfluous actions. Her Kaiten grew larger and crushed down on his.

"How," he said thundered under his breath before the force smashed him back off his feet, sending him skidding across the grounds.

Neji kept forcing himself to gulp down enough oxygen to ease the soreness of his shut tenketsu points; though the only thing that was deeply wounded was his pride. He had lost in a short spar with his younger cousin…his younger weaker cousin, Hinata. Neji had for years held a grudge against the main house for the way they treated him, because he was part of the branch family he wouldn't get to reach his full potential. Yet things had changed after his Chuunin match all those years ago. It had done wonders to relieving the hatred he once carried. Now he didn't hold hatred, though the anger he was letting fester in himself was coming close. He lost regardless of the skill level difference between them. It bewildered his mind to no end, he and many others of his clan would never have fathomed he would lose to the weaker main house member.

He hid his disappointment well considering his predicament; the sole thing that comforted him was there hadn't been anyone else to witness the onetime occurrence. The Hyuuga male ignored his brain storm of self doubt and explanations to change his clothes and prepare for dinner with the "family," if it qualified as that. His mind ceased its wandering, spotting a change in his body shape in front of the mirror in his bathroom. His eyes enlarged slightly for him, as he noticed some excess flesh from his abdomen area.

'What the hell is that,' he wondered while standing straight to further inspect it.

Hinata rubbed her hands through her blue locks, noticing the dirt and grime making it sticky to put her fingers in. She gasped when she saw the damage that had been done to her coat; it wasn't too worrisome since she had many of the same style, though it was wasteful to destroy clothes she enjoyed. She bent over, dusting off her blue pants, when she heard the sound of something she didn't recognize. It was quite a peculiar noise to be hearing, it sounded like an animal was pleading for a meal? Hinata raised her hands over her mouth looking back and forth to see if there was an injured creature about that needed food. Her cheeks turned rosy when the realization dawned on her that it was her own stomach making the racket for needed calories.

'I'm hungry again,' she thought in confusion, since she had only eaten about two or three hours before hand how could she need food again?

The shy girl didn't take another moment to understand the sudden gurgling of her intestines, and made her escape to her room with a heated walk. She didn't feel any guilt about being famished; never the less it was embarrassing to have your body making deafening noise that anyone within five feet could hear. She was grateful no one had been in the halls between the training area and her room. She took refuge behind her closed door, where she began to rub her abdomen due to the twinges of pain starting to occur. She controlled herself with a series of deep breaths and made sure to note the time from the clock near her bed. The current time was six forty, which meant dinner would be served in twenty minutes. She delicately disrobed herself, preparing for a quick rinse so as not to feel grimy at dinner, considering it was improper to show up dirty when eating around others. She cleaned herself with rarely seen swiftness, making sure to shampoo her hair and begin the drying process. The gurgling continued and as time went on the volume rapidly increased. What had started as a loud gurgle was now a resounding roar for food. The Hyuuga female wrapped herself in an extra large towel, her face already red with embarrassment and frustration.

"What can I eat in here," she thought while looking about her room before breaking and deciding to get her emergency food.

She glided to her bed, tracing her fingers along the back of the headboard, until coming into contact with a small latch. A small container drawer lay hidden behind her bed; she never used it for anything besides a few special things. She felt around finding what she desired, she already knew what was inside, a picture of Naruto, another of her mother holding her as a baby, her mother's favorite necklace, and her favorite sweets - Mochi. Not many people knew about how strict things were living in a clan, let alone being a child of the clan leader. Hinata, like many of the clan females, was required to maintain a specific diet to provide adequate nutrition, in addition to keeping her from becoming fat; which would be seen as a weakness by other ninja regardless if the person was male or female. She and Hanabi were both on the strict regimen; neither openly showed disgust for it, she however had found a way to cope by hording candies in her bedroom. She smiled grabbing one of the two containers that hadn't had its plastic seal opened yet, so the candies would still be soft. Hinata took the tiny morsel between her fingers and took an experimental bite, letting the chewy treat pass through her lips and tickle at her taste buds. It was literally heaven for her mouth and stomach, which immediately stopped its complaining for sustenance. The need to feed sprouted anew as a single snack before dinner turned into frenzy. Hinata's mind wandered, trailblazing through a forest of self doubt and confusion over the past half day event. But when the tray of tasty goodies ran empty, she yelped finding herself embarrassed and nearly late for dinner!

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Hiashi sat silently at the dining table that was already set for four. Each meal included cooked salmon, udon soup, rice, and a few soy beans. He didn't make any attempt to check when his children and nephew would show up, they knew like everyone else he ate specifically at seven and would have the dinner removed at eight. If you didn't finish by then, you weren't truly hungry. Besides, he was clan head after all, so he had to mange his time wisely or nothing would be completed. He checked the small clock hanging from the wall above one of the three entrances to his dining room. The tiny hands would've seemed invisible to someone with normal sight, but Hiashi could see perfectly fine, even without his Byakugan, and watched the minute hand point toward the sky atop the twelve. The doors all opened, each one having one of his expected family members. Neji entered into the dining area seeming more annoyed, the air of calmness about him appeared to have waned since the earlier spar. He was wearing another of his training gis, since it did double as a robe, and allowed him to hide the bruises which had started to swell on his arms and chest. Hanabi entered in, being indifferent to the family sit downs as she saw them. No one really talked during the dinners, except when father asked those questions about their training or other things of concern. She had slipped into one of her loose black robes, because white was far too aggravating to keep clean. This allowed her to spill and not have her all seeing dad notice. Hinata arrived with her face neutral, but her body and mind ablaze. She was just starting to notice how hungry she got between meals and with such a nice meal on the table she just wanted to shovel the entire table into her mouth. She was decorated in her leisure yukata, which was made of white fabric with red flower accents traveling down the back.

Everyone bowed to Hiashi before taking their places at the dinner table. Dead silence seemed like an explosion in comparison to the exchange between the relatives. No one spoke a word and the sounds of chop sticks clicking, allied with chewing, were the sole noises to be picked up. While no sounds were being generated by vocal cords, every individual was speaking in the security of their mind.

Neji kept his face pointed downward; he didn't want to be looked directly in the face by anyone, especially not Hinata.

'I lost to you? How is it possible I could lose a fight to you, Hinata-sama,' He thought looking at her eating away quicker than usual at her plate.

'You shouldn't be stronger than me…how did you get so powerful over such a small time? Am I getting slack in my ability,' he felt his stare intensify on his object of aggression not knowing it was starting to affect the others.

Hinata consumed just a bit quicker than usual. She didn't want to make anyone believe something was off, but she needed to keep a steady pace or otherwise alarm everyone with a deafening stomach growl. The food was good like always, though so she felt deeply unsatisfied with the quantity that was dwindling at an alarming rate.

'I hope no one says anything,' she quickly prayed to kami that her family would be too distracted by the meal to ask or say anything.

Hanabi had finished the fish starting to just poke forcefully at her rice; she hadn't been experiencing a wonderful day. She had run into that annoying Konohamaru today while exiting the Hokage's office after handing in another D-rank mission.

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EARLIER THAT DAY

Hanabi had just finished conversing with the Hokage and she just exited from her office, only to have a shorter brown haired boy bump into her sending her stumbling back.

"Ouch," the boy mumbled scratching his head as he stood back up.

"Ahem," Hanabi said while expecting an apology since the boy really did need to know his place.

"Oh. Hiya, Hanabi," Konohamaru said with a grin, since he did know the girl from his genin class years.

She started to tap her foot waiting appropriately for the boy to say he was sorry.

"Well, I'll see ya around," he smirked while darting past her without another word.

Hanabi rubbed her nails against the palm of her hands to release the stress she felt for the boy. He was of high stature, being the grandson of a Kage. She guessed he would possess a sense of nobility and be proper considering that. She wanted to scream and yell at the small bit of frustration. She was a Hyuuga, after all, and others should learn to respect that and act their age.

Hiashi stopped eating, deciding it being time to have a discussion with his family. He noted the stare that Neji was sending Hinata part way through dinner and was interested in what reason he could have to be looking at her in such a way.

"Neji, I trust your training has been beneficial."

Neji gritted his teeth and answered, hiding the injury on his pride better than expected.

"Yes, it has, Hiashi-sama."

"Has Hinata's performance during your spars been meeting expectations?"

Neji looked up at his cousin, giving her a long look before deciding how to answer.

"Here and there," he said while standing up from his seat.

"Excuse me, Hiashi-sama, but there are other things which require my attention at this time."

Neji said bowing before exiting through the door he came from.

Hanabi quickly spotted one of the subtle changes in her father's facial features, which only was a small wrinkle appearing around the right side of his left eye.

"Father, I've finished my meal and would like to be excused," she said while sitting patiently with her eyes facing the ground out of respect.

Hiashi turned toward her and considered the situation. He didn't mind the other dinner attendees leaving, because it gave him a chance to start early on specific paperwork on clan matters. He nodded his head as he allowed his youngest to leave the table, though some of her food still remained on her plate.

Hinata gulped; shocked the others had left already. She didn't think her father was a type of monster, but the man was serious and cold all the time; meaning it was hard on anyone left alone in a room with him. She felt nervous being the single object under his scrutinizing eyes, her chop sticks kept moving to continue feeding her.

*click*

Hinata's eyes turned down at the odd noise, seeing the plate was bare except for some single rice survivors. She slowly rose up, happy to be done; it gave her the best excuse to leave that way.

"Good night, father," she bowed deeply, rising back to full posture whisking herself across the hard wooden floor and out the sliding paper doors.

Hiashi chewed slowly noticing the clock barely approaching seven- thirty. He by no means was happy with any of his family for rushing out before he could speak to each of them. However, Hinata had eaten everything on her plate. That was odd because her normal eating habits would leave half of the food remaining.

Hiashi cleaned his mouth with his napkin, concentrating his mind around why everyone was behaving out of order. He sighed knowing these may not have been substantial issues to the clan, but anything that could affect the family would sooner or later return to affect him. It was best he remove the thorn from his side now before it began to fester into something worse.

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Hinata returned to her room, glad to be out of the awkward situation. Eating dinner was far more stressful than usual. Not to mention Neji seemed almost hostile toward her, along with the fact he and Hanabi deserted the family affair, leaving her - the shyest of them - to deal with her father solo. She sighed, trying in some way to channel the miserable feelings out with the expelled air. She looked at the clock, knowing it was far too early to try and sleep; but trying to read from some jutsu scrolls wouldn't be beneficial at her mental state. The Hyuuga had no idea what to do until, sitting at her bed, her stomach made its plan for her after smelling the other container of mochi even through its wrapper. She didn't try fighting the euphoric sensation washing over her being, making her brain act from physical memory and start pushing one sweet after the next into her cheeks.

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Hiashi had finished his meal shortly after his "family" had abandoned him for problematic issues. The older man strode down the maze of halls making up his compound; but he, an almost elder, knew each and every turn locating his daughter's room without difficulty. He motioned to knock, falling short upon hearing the sound of… chewing and plastic being crumbled up? Hiashi was many things, a clan head, a strong ninja, an observant man, but most of all he was a father with two girls. That made him protective, not in an emotional way, but protective nonetheless. He wasn't going to allow his daughter any chance to hide what she was doing, opening the door swiftly and peering inside.

Hiashi Hyuuga, a man who could pull off a neutral collected expression, was at a loss for words as he felt one of his eyebrows rise and his mouth contort to a position he wasn't familiar with.

Hinata, his eldest daughter, was sitting on her bed still inside her yukata with a bulging mouth of heaven only knew and a container which appeared to be full of candy. Hinata locked gazes with her father, her eyes enlarging to the fullest her skull would allow, along with many a thought she didn't have a answer to.

'Why is father in my room? Does he know that I have an eating disorder? Is he going to be angry that I am stuffing myself?'She swallowed the food in her mouth, feeling the redness in her cheeks explode out all across her face.

Hiashi couldn't fully comprehend what was occurring and decided, for once, to close the door; thinking his mind was playing tricks on him. Hinata was an obedient child. She would never cheat on the diet the clan had set out for her and worse, imitate a squirrel while eating. Hinata had few seconds to respond. Part of her wanted to scream, but the rational side knew that would need to wait. She put the container away quickly and with deadly silence. She reached under her pillow taking out her diary, opening it to the last page she had scribbled her inner most thoughts onto. She finished with a small sigh and pretended to be busy while taking the time to write down a few words to fuel the lie she would be able to pull off. She didn't even want to know what would happen if her dad caught her red-handed eating candy.

The door opened a second time after Hiashi had blinked a series of times to moisten his eyes back up. There sat his daughter, quietly writing away in her journal and jumping a little when he opened the door so suddenly.

"Father," she asked while looking up at him with a curious and surprised look in her eyes.

"Good night, Hinata," he said almost vacant of emotion as he closed the door.

Hinata breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like a house had been lifted off her chest. She never imagined that would've happened, but thanked every possible god she didn't lose her secret. She stretched and decided sleep was the best remedy for the stress which had accumulated. She stripped down to her underwear and removed her cumbersome bra to ease the bondage across her chest.

Hinata found comfort in the form of blue cotton night pants, and a loose fitting black t-shirt. She pulled down her covers and rested her head against the soft pillow, now safely under the covers. She looked out at the night sky, seeing just a small amount of the moon rising over shade of the compound wall.

"Good night, Naruto-kun," she sighed, praying kami would bring something better tomorrow.

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Hiashi blinked another series of times before heading toward his study. He felt lost in thought, not wanting to believe what he saw the first time; but even more confused by the second scene he saw. The older man took the wrong turns around the compound to find more time to decide which of the two things he had seen. When he arrived at his place of work, he saw his personal body guards were still on duty ready to protect him and take orders if he so requested.

"Hiashi-sama," both guards said and stood straight, not looking at the man as it was a sign of disrespect given their status.

"Send for my record keeper."

"Hai," both said in unison as the one vanished to wake his assistant.

The second opened the door for him, offering him access which he willingly took. He passed the solid oak door, finding his resting place at his desk chair. He opened the drawer, pulling out a thick manila folder with paper contents making it reach six inches in width. He placed the stack to his left and began his work of reading and approving the payment to clan ninjas, and calculating out food costs and other extras the clan needed to pay for. Few knew it, but every clan took dues from their active ninja, which supplemented their clan treasury and paid for also weapons, clothing, food, and even cleaning soap. He continued on making a small dent in his work before a knocking came at his door.

"Enter," he stated, not looking up to identify the person.

"Hiashi-sama," the sound of a deep male voice stated which made him curious to who came in when his scribe was female.

"Neji, what is the meaning of this intrusion," he demanded without even a hint of changing his voice.

Hiashi wasn't too agitated by Neji visiting him. It did put his mind at ease, feeling he and the boy were healing old wounds. However, just because Neji was his nephew didn't give him special treatment so he would treat him the same as any other house member.

"Hiashi-sama, I would like to request a special…," he began as the knocking again returned.

"Enter," Hiashi said again.

This time a short, blacked hair female in a white robe entered with her head pointed down.

"You requested my presence, Hiashi-sama? What can be done to assist you," she said in a controlled tone so as not to give any indication of drowsiness.

"Kylie, when is my appointment with doctor Taro scheduled?"

The girl pulled out a small black folder which had been kept hidden under her robe. She softly fluttered through the pages coming to the most current. She ran her finger down the edge noting the appointments on a larger calendar.

"Doctor Taro is scheduled to see you in another month, Hiashi-sama."

"Have it moved up to tomorrow."

"Hai, I shall leave at…"

Neji spoke up catching both of the Hyuuga off guard.

"Hiashi-sama, may I undertake this task for you?"

He hadn't come in with the original idea to help Hiashi in any form, but it did provide him with an easy fulfillment of his plans. His plan had been to come in to request a personal appointment with Taro, the main house doctor. He knew his body wasn't sick, but when he saw the small roll around his waist he needed to make sure he wasn't out of shape.

The clan leader looked at his nephew, curious to his new found sense of charity. Nevertheless, an objective needed to be completed and he was offering.

"Very well, leave and inform Taro at once."

"Hai," Neji bowed deeply before turning and vanishing once he reached the door.

Kylie too bowed and retreated without another word, leaving the elder to ponder a few issues. Hinata's behaviors seemed odd as of late. She ate faster than usual and he was almost certain he saw her eating again after dinner. It wasn't possibly an issue, but he would need to look into it and soon.

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He stretched, now finally returning to his home. It had been his day off, which only meant he could train until the late hours and be okay for the next day. The blonde popped his neck and knuckles as he traversed the miniature mountain of stairs that brought him to his apartment door. He reached for his key, which he turned ever so delicately in the lock to ensure he wouldn't break it by hurrying, like the last few. He walked into his house that was somewhat a mess with clothes lying about the floor, combined with the pungent smell of stale ramen sifting through the air. Naruto smiled, enjoying what he had. After all, home was home and that meant he didn't care how it looked. All that mattered was it had food and he could rest peacefully there. He nearly ripped his clothes off, tossing everything but his orange boxers onto the mountain of fabric that had started to accumulate. The night air felt refreshing to his skin as he took the time to prepare a miniature ramen bowl while he sat, lonely, at his small dining table. It was far too quiet for his taste. He never did enjoy having complete silence. It reminded him too much about the fact he didn't have anyone in his life. He shook his head about, getting rid of the feeling as the timer on his microwave beeped warning him that his food was ready. Naruto grinned, starting to make the noodles and broth disappear into the void of his stomach; but remembering from the smell of it the pain it had caused his groin earlier in the day.

'I wonder why Hinata did that. Maybe she wasn't having a good day or something,' he squinted his eyes shut, but stared down to notice a large portion of his food remaining.

"Don't worry, I could never stay mad at you," he said almost lovingly as he continued.

The bowl was soon empty after a series of minutes, bringing his attention to removing the odor he collected while forcing his body through hell. He removed the remaining article of clothing, then rushed to the bathroom and turned on the hot water. He closed his eyes and secretly prayed the water would be warm for a change. It was, after all, a large apartment complex; but they all shared the same water heater and given the time he doubted there was a drop of hot left.

He jumped in, abruptly happy to find the liquid to be lukewarm to the touch. Although he wasn't going to chance being flash frozen, he scrubbed himself down with his body soap and shampoo using all his trained speed. He jumped out in only two minutes, as he grabbed one of his towels and began to dry himself on the path to his bedroom. Naruto felt almost too good to sleep, but he knew resting now would do wonders for his injured body; and since he was free the next day it meant he could get in another day of training. He put on another pair of orange boxers and pushed back the covers to find his sleeping cap resting under his pillow for him. He grinned, looking out the window and finding the partially risen moon in the sky above his village.

"Good night, Naruto," he half sighed getting some form of comfort as he closed his eyes and let his tired body and mind rest.


	3. Malpractice? Part 1

There was nothing to disturb the village inhabitants, as the calming blanket of night about them combined with the refreshing spray of water that distributed lightly with each breathe of air. Sun light would remedy the slinking fog and keep it from infesting every crevasse of the homes and back alleys; but, it had its limits not being able to strip the cold grasp of the fog without adequate time. A single figure walked among the low hanging clouds of white, using his robes to prevent the precious heat from escaping him. He breathed heavily, not enjoying the shifts in the outside environment; given yesterday it had been nearly ninety degrees in the shade. He kept his walk at a determined pace, not letting the nippy weather slow him down, in hopes of finding a single moment of shelter to alleviate the goose bumps along his entire being. It took a short amount of time before he arrived at the five story building that was the Konoha hospital. The entrance greeted him with a burst of warm flowing air, cleansing him of the chill that no longer possessed his body. He popped his neck as he readjusted his robe, not wanting to seem out of formal appearance given it would reflect improperly on the clan. The Hyuuga male approached the front desk where a young, green eyed, red haired female sat in a white nurse's uniform and tediously reviewed some form he couldn't at the time make out.

"Excuse me," he asked trying to get her attention, he succeeded only to contact blood shot eyes.

"What can I do to help," she asked in a half dead expression since she was only running on six hours of sleep over the past two days.

"Where is Taro-kun currently?"

"One moment," she groaned while sweeping her face to another chart that had a list of the hospitals entire schedule. "Doctor Taro is on the fourth floor with the coma patients."

He nodded his head as he left for the stairs not wanting to waste time with the elevator. It wasn't necessarily an emergency; but he did need to complete his task in adequate time, otherwise, he would feel Hiashi's wrath. He continued his travels through the plain white corridors, passing through security doors and climbing numerous stairs before coming to the only coma patient room in the entire hospital. He steadied himself as he pushed on the lever, forcing the door to release its lock and allow his entry. The room wasn't decorated even remotely like the rooms with the conscious patients; the walls, tile flooring, monitoring equipment, everything was completely white from wall to wall. He took a quick examination about the room, spotting a doctor sitting in a chair facing away from his looking through a manila folder.

He approached slowly not trying to conceal his presence, but not loud enough to risk waking someone; though, he had to admit waking someone in a coma ward would take more than the sound of footsteps.

"Taro-kun," he said and noticed the man in the chair was not moving. "Taro-kun," he said a bit louder, still receiving no form of reply.

"What," came a reply, but not from the person sitting before him. He took another look about the room, his left eye arching when a body rose from one of the patient beds and stretched with a loud yawn.

"What in the hell does someone wake a doctor up for so early in the morning," asked Taro as he raised himself out of the patient bed and walked over to the Hyuuga.

"Hold on a second," he added, taking his coat off the coma patient he had propped up to substitute for him while he took a quick nap. He took the older looking man by the arms and began to drag him back to his bed.

"Little help," he said, but received none since the very act of a doctor more or less using a half dead patient to earn himself a break seemed to repulse the Hyuuga.

Taro used all his strength and lifted the heavier man back up to the bed, bumping the body's head against the head board before reattaching the monitoring cables.

"Not like he is going to mind much," he said with a half grin as he turned back to the Hyuuga male. "Anything specific you wanted, or are you just here to make my life miserable like some other pink haired banshee?"

"I came here for a certain reason, Taro-kun," he said, disregarding the initial shock, even though he wondered how this man got away with the things he did in the hospital.

"I am here to inform you that Lord Hiashi has requested you move his monthly check up to today," he stated, making Taro blink with his one visible eye as he pulled a folder from his coat and checked his current schedule.

"There is an opening today at noon. Tell him to be here on the dot or he can find someone else to be his slave," he groaned, glad that was the only thing being requested of him since he just wanted to return to his dream of having a certain female massaging his back and feeding him.

"Also, he requested you examine me today for classified clan reasons," Neji added. He knew it was a lie, but being marked as classified by a clan meant that Taro couldn't mention it to Hiashi even if he wanted to. Leaking clan information, after all, could be qualified as treason if it was vital enough.

Taro looked over the male trying to figure out if there was any sign of deceit, but it was exceptionally hard with a Hyuuga. The entire clan seemed to be remarkably skilled in lying. It couldn't be helped, he was bound by village law to ask nothing further; but it didn't mean he couldn't make the Hyuuga spill a little bit.

"Alright, follow me," he said while signaling for the man to follow him.

They headed down the corridor until reaching a private office with the name "Taro Masahiro" printed in bold print letters on the glass window attached to the door. The pair entered, inside was a padded black office chair behind a small oak desk located in a single corner. In the opposite corner was an easel for painting with a large white board of paper resting upon it with an incomplete picture of a female with jade colored hair. He didn't know much about the doctor, but given the little amount he had in his office, he doubted he spent much of his time in it. Taro sat down in his chair and reached into a file drawer, finding a large container with the Hyuuga clan flame on the front for easy identification. He pushed open the plastic clip. The clan was divided simply into males and females. He began going one by one through the patient folders, taking a moment each time to match the picture up against the male before him.

"Ah here we are, Hyuuga Neji," he stated, starting to look through the chart making notes of his past medical history.

"This would've gone faster if you had just told me your name, Hyuuga," he grumbled, noticing said Jounin in front of him hadn't been examined in about half a year, so there was definite need to take at least some standard tests.

"Hmm, you have no history of reoccurring illness, no drastic injury. You're not very interesting compared to some of your family," Taro smirked while closing the chart and leaving for the door.

Neji was confused as to what he could mean by that comment, however, now wasn't a good time to examine that. It could wait until he was positive there wasn't anything wrong with him.

Taro lead him to his personal examination room that had been set up since it wasn't just clan members he had to diagnosis. Sometimes the Hokage found it appropriate he care for high ranking council officials, and even foreign diplomats. This ensured all of them special privacy, which he hated dealing with since every higher up he ever examined would have a greater than thou attitude that made it all the more fun to get on their nerves.

"Alright, hop on the scale," he said allowing Neji to get around him and step on the weighing machine.

Taro took a moment to balance it, pushing the weights over and trying hard not to laugh as he wrote down the value next to the older number.

"Hmm, interesting, you've put on another ten pounds," he said while reaching for a thermometer, about to place it in the man's mouth.

"Of muscle right," Neji asked, almost a little too eager sounding than he wanted to.

Taro couldn't help himself as he scoffed at the boy's false hope.

"Only if you keep that muscle here," he partly laughed, patting the tiny roll of flesh about Neji's stomach, making it bounce a little.

Neji gritted his teeth. He wanted to do something; however, hitting his doctor would be improper. Not to mention (if he did hit Taro), Hiashi would be meeting with him later in the day. This made it almost impossible for him not to realize something was off.

"Don't feel too ashamed about it. I mean, it's common in your clan genetics," Taro added while writing a few extra notes on the side of the exam sheet.

"What do you mean," Neji asked, perplexed as to how he could be getting out of shape because he was a Hyuuga. It had to be just a lie. They were, after all, now the strongest clan in the entire village. How could they have weaknesses physically?

"Ever wonder why your clan head wears around those formal robes all the time? Between us both, the man can't say no to chocolate," Taro laughed, glad he could still screw with the Hyuuga one way or another. And if it meant he could leak a little information to make someone else leak some it was a fair trade.

Neji's eyes widened when he remembered a certain event from a few weeks ago.

*ONE WEEK EARLIER*

He was walking back from the market with Ten-ten. It he had happened, once again, that his monthly chance for buying the kitchen supplies for the clan occurred. He had requested his teammate's presence to save what honor and dignity he had left hanging on. They had finally started their return trip to the compound with him carrying a series of bags on in each hand, happy it was only a portion of the overall purchase. He often wondered why he carried back any of the items with him when a majority of the items were carried over by the shop workers. This constantly made him question if this was a way the clan implied that he was considered a grunt. He looked at his over enthused companion who seemed near battle ready concentration as she attacked a small package of a sweet snack by what he gathered. Ten-ten had decided to pull out her secret weapon against the bag. She knew its weakness as she expertly slashed the top clean off with her kunai. Neji contained himself while watching the scene unfold from the courtesy of his peripheral vision. She was definitely different than the other females of the village; she had a kid-like personality about her, but also a seriousness when training. He noted the small brown, shimmering eyes of hers as she flicked one of the mini treats into her mouth, savoring each chew. He looked away, deciding it best to focus on other matters at hand. That was until a hand was placed before his face, holding one of those chocolate chewy candies in the center.

He gave his companion a raised brow, which she knew from past experience meant one thing.

"What do you want me to do with that?"

"Try one," she chirped.

Neji merely kept walking, hoping she would soon lose her inspiration to try and feed him sweets. However, after another five minutes of walking her nerve wasn't wilting. The item was still in his face, starting to melt from the radiant heat of the kunochi's hand. He kept his resolve; he didn't want to eat something like that.

"Please, Neji," She all but pleaded now, making him want to roll his eyeballs into the back of his head with the childish antics.

After weighing the pros and cons of it continuing, he decided to end it now. He grabbed the item from her hand with his mouth and chewed it with a face of indifference pasted on. It was different from what he was used to, it was more of a bitter sweet taste followed by something smooth and tart in the center. He steadied himself, trying not to smirk or smile at the taste. He had a clan reputation to uphold, in any case.

"Well," asked his companion in suspense, wanting to hear positive remarks.

"It's fine," he deadpanned, but made sure to note the name of the item for his later visit that day.

"I should've said no to the chocolate," he mumbled under his breath

"Hmm?"

"It's nothing."

Taro reached for his stethoscope and placed the cold pad on the Hyuuga's back, getting more sick joy in the fact he was driving on his last nerve.

"Alright, take a deep breath."

"Fine," Neji replied, taking in a deep breath to humor him.

Taro kept a smile on his face as he finished checking on his patients breathing, weight, blood pressure, and temperature.

"Well nothing seems to be out of the ordinary. Anything specific you need help with," he asked, unenthused and just praying to anyone (spirit or god) listening to get the Hyuuga's out of his life even if only for a single day.

'Am I that out of shape that Hinata could defeat me,' he thought as he felt his teeth pushing harder together and his breathing becoming faster. He didn't want to believe it, but the doctor had shown him that he was physically healthy, but not physically fit.

"So what was the reason for this check up anyway," Taro asked, deciding that the rule of clan secrecy was meant to be broken; and since this man…no boy was lacking in any type of disease or condition, he knew just from looking with his eye that he had been lied to.

"I'm sorry I can't explain that due to clan secr…"

"You can stop lying to me, Hyuuga-san. I may not be able to see chakra like you can, but since there isn't anything wrong with you I doubt a clan head would ask for you to be specifically examined," Taro said while sitting down on the chair across from the male and crossing his legs.

Neji grunted while feeling defeated in the logic of it, that and he hadn't thought Taro would put things together so quickly. He decided it best to just look down for a short amount of time to try to collect his thoughts and explain it without really giving away too much.

"There is no reason that I came in today," Neji said, ready to deny with every fiber of his being that he was in the hospital currently because he felt insecure after a fight with his female cousin.

Taro took a minute to analyze the man. He didn't like to admit it, but he could see things others couldn't; from his ninja training combined with just an inherent perception that put most ninja to shame. He noticed the clenched teeth in combination with the nails Neji kept digging into his palms, meaning he was uncomfortable. There were only two things that put men into such a nervous state.

"Tell me, are you gay or does this concern a female," he asked flatly, smirking when the Hyuuga's eyes seemed to expand in his head and threatened to bust through his scalp.

Neji felt disgusted by what the doctor had suggested. He, for sure, wasn't gay and he was going to make damn sure he knew it. He stood up straight to make himself tower over the doctor who was just an inch shorter.

"Would you care to repeat those words Taro-san," he sneered, knowing he could intimidate the man enough to make him drop it; but was impressed that Taro didn't flinch or even seem remotely threatened by his presence.

"I'm guessing this is concerning a girl then," Taro asked again, still smiling as Neji's powerful appearance literally withered before his eyes.

Neji stepped back, all the while second guessing his worth. It was amazing how one simple fight could change so much. When he lost to Naruto he didn't feel ashamed of himself since the blonde, while not from a clan, still possessed the power of the Kyuubi. It was a given he would be powerful. But Hinata wasn't anything special; she was always weaker so what had happened to change that? Neji felt himself being sucked deeper into his mind, trying to make an excuse for the outcome that refused to generate despite all the lies he could conjure up.

"Fortunately, I can help with the problem plaguing you," filtered through the private brainstorm he had contained in his mind.

"Huh," he asked curious to what the physician was even talking about.

Taro reached into his pocket pulling out something no bigger than an explosive tag. It had some writing on it, but from his current angle the Hyuuga couldn't catch a full glimpse to guess at its contents.

"I'm sure you're here because there is a certain someone you're looking to sleep with. Given the genetic emotional block you seemed to have inherited, you're afraid it won't be good," Taro said while handing over a small pamphlet of unknown contents to the Hyuuga, spurring an emotion few would even believe could exist inside a male of the clan - embarrassment.

To say he felt nauseous was a vast underestimate. He looked at the words printed in red letters on the special bits of paper "Rising Sun Cathouse." He felt his stomach do a back flip along with his brain, a feeling reminiscent of that uppercut Naruto had defeated him with so many years ago. It had never even occurred to him that his doctor would be assuming he was getting checked-up so he could make sure he was able to have sex. Neji was more shaken because it just wasn't something he freely conversed about, but it also didn't help him one bit in solving his problem.

He gave an angry grunt and shoved the item back at Taro.

"I don't require this," he seethed, trying his best to vent out the vehemence which rightfully stewed up about his insides.

"Don't be ashamed about it, the services provided there a very discreet."

"There aren't any services I require," Neji shouted and started to leave the office only for Taro to follow closely behind him, opening the door for his exit.

"Just go there and ask for a female named Mist. She's gentle with first timers."

Neji decided to just ignore the advice and leave without trying to argue. Taro seemed to have already decided what his true motive for visiting was and it didn't seem likely to change even if he screamed his denial into both of his ears. He took his leave heading into a thankfully vacant hallway only to be more repulsed by the words he was hearing.

"Did I mention if you tell them I sent you you'll get half off," he heard in a sing-song voice, which just further pestered at his thinned self-restraint.

Neji took his leave back out into the village, too angered to truly notice the problem he was still carrying with him.

* * *

The sun had finally decided to make its presence known, slowly peaking from behind the forest tree line. The fog had just about finished melting off, allowing the warming rays of the glowing orb to penetrate the countless blinds of homes and reach the cozy inhabitants. A certain female lay comfortable and warm between her cotton and silk sheets, a peaceful expression resting softly on her lightly paled face. She, like everyone else, faced the problem of rising to the cold feel of the morning; but with the paradise of one's mind complimented by the warmth of sheets wrapped tightly about their form, more than not the desire to remain in bed won both battle and war. She stirred from her sleep as her mind collected the information of the morning; starting with the warmth from light on her face, the sound of chirping birds, and the soft patting of branch house members starting their chores. Hinata opened her eyes welcoming a new day. She raised herself up into a sitting position, eyes still closed. She reached up toward the ceiling, feeling the out of place bones pop, generating small bursts of comfort and a soft contented sigh from her lips.

'What time is it,' she wondered as her gaze swept to her left, finding her small white clock. The long hand was pointing to the twelve and the smaller to the seven.

Hinata felt confused. Why she was even awake at the moment? It was a Thursday and her father would have his morning meeting with the council until about nine, which gave her time to sleep in. Normally she found herself needing to sleep in every chance she got, being tired had seemed to become a natural thing since her single years. That wasn't the case this morning. She laid back down, her mind and body fully awake. It made any hope of returning to a dream world littered with obstacles.

"Fine," she whispered and released her grip on her fabric cocoon of warmth; letting the harsh cold reality of the morning world flood in, making her soft skin tingle all over.

She wandered off into her bathroom, abruptly trying to turn the hot water on and get the shower going to try and flood the area with warmth and save her from the cruel cold. She hopped in suddenly after she reached in to feel hot water flowing from the nozzle. She couldn't help it as a contented sigh escaped her lips. She started to stare into space as the water seemed to wash away all thought and worry along with the sweat from sleeping. She inhaled deeply, getting some moisture in her lungs to fill and bring her dazzled senses to full awareness. She felt at peace when surrounded by water. She didn't understand why, but it always seemed to have a calming effect on her senses. She started to clean herself, beginning with her long black locks that cascaded down to the center of her back. She smiled as she ensconced herself in the sweet smell of roses and lavender, which made a marvelous harmony when both were applied to her skin. It felt perfect. She doubted there was anything that could make her situation anymore pleasurable. She felt her face begin heating up and it wasn't the fault of the water as she knew of a certain person who could improve the conditions further.

'Naruto-kun,' she thought with one of her rare full smiles that only seemed satisfied with surfacing during moments of isolation. She closed her eyes tight feeling the heat from the water take on the form of her loves strong and caring arms wrapping snuggly about her curves, letting her know she was safe and precious. It felt heavenly even to imagine, and deep down she often wondered if the real thing would be the same or even better. Her mind explored her secret desires further as the feeling expanded to more of her skin to the point she could feel a chin pressing into the nape of her neck. The feeling was intoxicating, bringing her to a state of being comfortably numb; she was addicted to it and pushed back wanting to feel more contact of their bodies.

*Smack*

She felt like she could cry, it stung so badly she wondered if maybe there had been some permanent damage done. Hinata recollected herself against one of the bath walls, which granted enough time for the fuzziness of her vision to revert back to normal. Her skull felt like a line was now running from the back to the space between her eyeballs.

'The bath is the worse place to start daydreaming,' she thought, feeling her self-esteem strike an all time low. It wasn't everyday you randomly threw yourself head first into a wall because you were dozing off.

She exited the bath and began to dry quickly, wiping all the beads of water from her body. She felt as though each was carrying just a fragment of her embarrassment with them and their removal would result in the cleansing of the prior event.

She eyed the clock as she began to redress herself in her usual garb of a tight black shirt, blue pants, her fish net cover, and her lavender jacket.

'Still only seven-thirty,' she thought in disappointment. Time hadn't sped up to make things easy on her for today; but given the negatives that had already exposed themselves to her, she doubted an upside was coming soon. She stopped at her door and placed on her black ninja sandals where the jacket she had destroyed yesterday was still hanging up. She smiled; realizing that since she was up earlier it meant some of the usual chores hadn't gotten around to being done yet. She took the coat and she exited; making her way to the laundry area they had placed in the branch house section of the compound. She passed through the series of hallways, turns, and forks in the walking path until the smell of bleach and other cleaning soaps filled the air making her positive she hadn't gotten lost. She entered into the house size cleaning area, still amazed by how many clan members were already hard at work cleaning clothes. It was a secret from the village, but all Hyuuga clan members were provided robes made of a combination of silk and cotton. The only possible way for them to be cleaned without any possible damage was by washing them traditionally with hand washing in cleaner, before being scrubbed free of stains and hung out to dry.

"Suzume-san," Hinata called out amongst the organized chaos ensuing before her. Behind one of the large vats a female nearing her late forties poked her head over the edge and spotted the Clan heiress. She walked around the obscuring structure, and lightly made her way to the Hyuuga female.

"Hinata-sama, to what do I owe the honor," she whispered speaking with a motherly tone, however, still knowing her place and bowing deeply to the female.

Hinata never had gotten used to having members of her family bow down to her. It just made her feel odd since it implied superiority, which was something she hadn't inherited from her father unlike her sister. She decided it best to just accept the customs for the time being, it would take time until she became clan head and when that time came she would do her best to restore the clan to a family again.

"I just have a small favor to ask," Hinata replied, feeling a small break in her thoughts to refocus on the current issue instead of the possible future ones.

"Oh, ask whatever."

"Um, I'm sorry, but I damaged it yesterday…," she held out her clothing like a child who had broken a pane of glass, a look of both guilt and innocence on her face.

The older female couldn't help but grin at Hinata. For one, she genuinely liked the young lady. She was not only well mannered, but caring for everyone despite status. In addition, she was one of the only main house members willing to do chores for herself. She examined the damage done to the fabric. From years of working on the clans' laundry, she could distinguish it had been chakra damage by the cleanness of the tear from elbow to wrist.

"It shouldn't take a long time to fix, sweetie; but I can't repair it currently," Suzume said with slight dread, knowing Hinata could order her to fix it over everything else.

"Why is that," she asked with genuine concern

"Forgive me, Lady Hinata. My son was meant to collect the fruits and vegetables from the market, but an accident at the academy has left him with a broken foot so he can't walk about. This leaves me to fulfill the task after I am finished," she said with grief behind every word. She was definitely not looking forward to enduring another task after an exhausting day of work.

Hinata smiled, knowing exactly what to do. It only was fair she help out Suzume, since she did take care of her clothing along with other chores that were daily done for her room.

"I'll be happy to help if you'd let me," she said, noting the shocked look of the older women.

"Oh, I couldn't ask you to do such a thing, Hinata-sama."

"Please let me help," she replied with eyes pleading to be of assistance.

"Alright," Suzume said and handed over a crumpled list she had kept in her cleaning clothes pocket.

"I'll also make sure to see your jacket is repaired and brought back to your room by the end of today," she chimed and retreating back to her previous task.

Hinata found herself leaving with a sense of serenity about her. She was more than overjoyed to be helping out her clan, even if it meant doing small chores. She made her way to the compound inner door that didn't have as tight security, since guard change frequently took place in the early morning. The door was open already, letting the mob of both main house and branch members migrate into and out of the compound to complete the daily chores, meetings, and missions. Hinata slipped out amongst the crowd on one of the few rare chances to be about without some of her family confirming her location.

She made her way to the market district to start collecting her list of ingredients. It felt liberating to escape into the village and nice to be out and doing a household chore. She never found it aggravating like many a ninja did. She had come to enjoy the simple tasks; both because she wanted to be helpful to her clan and it felt like practice for when she got married and became the caring wife. She blushed, imagining herself as the one to go shopping and come home to her beloved blonde husband, lovingly making his meals, and… She yelped feeling her face almost steaming from the heat the increased blood flow caused. It was a relief to be at the market before she let her mind drift off to other areas that she wouldn't be able to converse about with others without them thinking she was dying of fever.

'Okay, I better start the…,' her eyes jumped along with her heart when she unfolded the piece of paper. It was nearly five times the size she had expected. '…List,' she ended her thought, figuring she could carry the quantity of items back; and if she couldn't it would make for good strength training.

The task didn't take much time, as the proximity of the stores and wide variety per stall allowed for quick purchases or large quantity.

She had gone through numerous stalls and stores before she felt a mini stab of pain in her gut. Hinata did her best to ignore it. She was a ninja and it meant being able to forget about any type of harm she was suffering. However, when she felt the sudden pain return with an overwhelming force while passing a cart of oranges, she felt the need to feed take over.

'I guess one wouldn't hurt me very much,' she thought as she grabbed a hold of the fruit with her free left hand and tore the top clean off before giving it an exuberant bite.

It was an odd phenomenon for her. She had eaten many an exotic item being from the Hyuuga clan and being an heir also meant getting what she wanted. But this single orange was by far the tastiest thing she had ever eaten. Everything about it felt wonderful; from the sweet tangy juice, to the crisp chill it gave to her lips as her teeth pressed into its soft skin. She grinned in her state of bliss when a sudden clearing of a certain shop keeper's throat brought her falling back to earth.

"I'm sorry," she said when she realized she had eaten before paying, which sometimes could be seen as potential stealing. She finished off the fist size fruit with rapid bites and gulps, once her snack was safely inside her cheeks she handed over enough ryu notes to pay for two.

The owner gave her a confused look when he received double the price. That was before she grabbed a second with her free hand and started back to her home, carrying along four bags on both arms. She felt, for once, a greater sense of peace swathing her entire form. The fruit helped to keep her stomach at bay, and she felt accomplished to finish a chore she didn't think she could. The weight of the items felt like bags full of feathers instead of bricks. She couldn't put her finger on it, but her karma was finally starting to bring back the positive for all the good she had done during her childhood. Nonetheless, she couldn't care what the cause was. Life felt right for once, and she just prayed that whatever the reason was it didn't blow away with the weather.

Hinata waltzed through the compound doors, which were still ajar due to the traffic of the morning continuing to prevent the guard from doing their duty. She felt it best to just take the items to the kitchen; it would just make an extra chore for Suzume if she brought her the ingredients in the laundry house. The corridors weren't crowded, thankfully; if she happened to run into a branch house member or main house member they would make someone else carry them. She was gratified in knowing she had made it to the storage area without anyone spotting her doing something "below" her position. The kitchen was flooded with steam, it made her wonder if she would require the use of her Byakugan to just make it to one of the preparation tables. She raised both of her hands up forming the family seal as she activated her eyes, making the veins around them overflow with chakra causing the world before her to clear into a spectrum of black and white. She negotiated her way through the man made fog, trying to reach one of the many steel shelves against the back wall behind the stoves. She dodged many of the cooks and servants with skilled grace, ducking trays containing the morning breakfasts of the entire clan. She found the perfect place on a preparation table. She sighed with great contentment for finishing her task, that and the steam did wonders for her skin. She scanned the surrounding area in preparation for her exit, when she caught a glimpse of the clock and its hands pointing far too close to nine fifteen…she yelped when the thought and worry finally reached her brain.

'BREAKFAST!' She mentally screamed as she realized she had been so concentrated on doing something nice that she lost track of time. It had been rather true what she had been told when she was younger; no good deed ever goes unpunished. She walked out of the kitchen, trying not to panic inside such a highly populated area. She reached the halls of the compound, suddenly breaking into a sprint. Her eyes were still active so she could check the surrounding area and avoid running into anyone. It took only a few minutes for her to reach the dining area door, and just as long to fix her appearance. It wouldn't be good if everyone saw her sweaty and short of breath, it was unfeminine and improper.

After a few moments she reverted to her normal self, with a collected composure. The sliding door gave a minuscule amount of resistance as she entered, happy not to see everyone present. A deluge of calmness disintegrated the worry that had been tearing away at her insides. It was maybe a gift of sorts, but it did make her wonder why only her sister and father were in attendance.

'Where is Neji,' she wondered as she slowly knelt down to the table and started on her food, which she was more than prepared to consume.

Hanabi and Hiashi didn't give much notice to Hinata's tardiness. The pair of nobles continued on with their meal, taking note of Neji's absence the most. He wasn't of the main house; however, all family members were required to keep a baseline level of principle. Being on time wasn't the first, though it was near the top. Hiashi was glad to catch both of his daughters so he could ask them what he wasn't able to the night before.

"Hinata," he said, not even caring to raise his head to acknowledge her.

"Hai," she whispered, still feeling miniature whenever her father spoke. He just seemed powerful, even without looking at one he could intimidate.

"What are the tasks you are undertaking today," he probed, wanting to know where she was. It just made things easier on him when the clan council questioned which of his potential heirs was developing best.

"Training with Neji, Hiashi-sama," she answered, not noticing the acceleration in the pace she brought her chopsticks to her mouth.

"Very well," he dead panned, not showing any favor in her choice. It was normally beneficially for any ninja to decide on training during their day off, save for Hinata. She had since her, single years, struggled to obtain greater strength in training alone and under his tutelage.

"Hanabi," he continued, not having to ask the full question since her knew she would understand and answer.

"D-rank missions, and training before and after," she stated with closed eyes and placed more of her soup into her mouth.

Hinata smirked when she looked down to see breakfast was already finished and she felt well satisfied enough to head straight to training after she tracked down her cousin. She escaped from her kneel and bowed respectfully to her family, pushing the door aside and starting her objective of find Neji.

"Good morning, Hinata-sama," she heard as she narrowly bumped her forehead with the Hyuuga male.

"Uh…goo...good morning Neji-niisan," she gulped, partially shocked with the suddenness of his appearance. It was difficult not to be startled when you lived in a village of ninja since they all were trained to be stealthy.

"Excuse me."

"Neji-niisan, where are we training today?"

"My apologies, Hinata-sama, something important has occurred so you will be doing so alone."

He bowed and entered into the dining area to deliver his news to Hiashi and find anything that he could do repair the damage he had done to his body by lacking in his skills.

She felt abandoned. Although she wasn't expecting anything less, it had become common in her family; ever since Hanabi defeated her in the spars they were forced into by the clan elders. She decided it best to leave and find her way to training ground eight; it was a small river with some trees so she could practice her chakra control and gentle fist strikes. She left without losing anymore time.

Neji entered into the dining area making his presence known to Hiashi who immediately decided it be best to excuse his youngest.

"Hanabi, leave us."

She didn't need to be told twice as she quickly raised herself up and bowed to her father. She backed out facing her father and sliding the paper and wood door into place behind her. She sighed feeling somewhat forgotten, but decided to let it go as she placed an ear to the door and waited for Hiashi and Neji to start their conversation. She, for one, knew how rude and grotesque it was to ease drop on someone; especially since that someone was her father a clan head, a higher up. Nonetheless, that little fact just made the information she heard usually more interesting. Not that she liked to gossip, she just enjoyed hearing things no one else got to.

Hiashi looked up at his nephew with indifference; he didn't feel any anger toward him at the moment. However, he should have accomplished his mission far more efficiently than shown. He slowly lifted his tea cup and took a great big gulp of green tea. He closed his eyes and took a deep inhale as he patted his lips with his napkin. His pale empty eyes made contact with the younger male and he decided finally to speak.

"Begin, Neji."

"Hai, the order to Taro-kun was delivered successfully. I must apologize for my delay; it took a greater amount of threatening to convince him that your appointment needed to be advanced," he finished, not giving anything away as to why he was truly unpunctual.

Hiashi said nothing. He was older and still very well trained in his skill. He always perceived each and every detail about anyone, even without his Byakugan. The tension in the air seemed to weigh down heavily on Neji; however, he was willing to let any possible assumptions go with his success. He understood how annoying and problematic Taro was. The man didn't care about class or even blood. To him everyone was the same, which got him into trouble most of the time.

"Very well, Neji. What important event has presented for you," Hiashi probed, since Hinata and Neji had conversed loud enough for him to hear. It was one of the reasons that the family only had paper and wood doors. It meant that there could be no secrets since everyone could be heard through the walls.

"Team Training, Hiashi-sama," he said without a second of hesitation. His preparation had paid off. Having nearly twenty different reasons prepared beforehand meant he couldn't be caught off guard in his lying.

The Clan head looked the boy up and down, noting no subtle changes in his posture, his eyes or even in his hands. It meant there was no sign of deception; therefore, it didn't merit him to press further. If that was needed he had others to get their hands dirty he was head of the family after all.

"You may leave."

Neji took the order and all but vanished in two seconds. With the closing of the small door behind him, he took off at full speed to find his teammate and get back to normal. Things were far too strange at the moment.

Hiashi Hyuuga found himself abandoned by all of his family yet again. It wasn't as quick as usual with the time nearing about ten. However, given the lateness of both Hinata and Neji, it wasn't as long as the last time. He decided next meal he would need to attempt to make them all remain stationed with him in order to properly converse with them. It wasn't much as others would view it from a loving family stand point; but, for a Hyuuga, simply talking with each other in itself was almost as intimate as hugging.

He placed his cup back down at the table noticing that a certain individual needed some angered "hugging."

"Hanabi," he called knowing she was at the door listening in. He could feel the vibration on the floor as she quickly tried to get to her feet and take off.

"Hanabi," he spoke with controlled anger, knowing he had instilled a greater integrity in his daughters than that. If they were wrong or found being deceitful, both of them knew how to face the consequences.

"Hai," he heard all but whispered from behind the door.

"I'll speak with Taro about moving your immunizations up to next week. Think about that next time your curiosity confiscates control of your sense of reason."

"Hai, Hiashi-sama," she said turning about and walking off with her teeth clenched. She hated needles, but she was still unsure if she hated those or Doctor Taro worse.

* * *

She had finally arrived at training area eight. She had normally come to it during her younger years when she was training with Kiba-kun and Shino-kun. She smiled, thinking back on those happier days. It was nice, after all, to have friends who would help make her stronger. Not to mention, it was simply nice having the company around since being alone always made it harder to focus on getting stronger.

She took a step out onto the river, easily putting enough chakra into her feet to glide across the translucent surface as she walked into the center of the river and lowered her body into her family fighting stance.

"Here we go," she said starting her training routine.


	4. Malpractice? Part 2

Author's Note: Attention all my readers, I am overjoyed to see this story recieving so many hits. I couldn't imagine when I wrote the first chapter of this story so many would enjoy it as much as me. On the other hand, I am sad in the amount of reviews I have recieved. The first two chapters collected ten reviews a piece, with the last one only recieving four. I want to say thank you to all of those of you who have read and reviewed, though it wounds my creative spirit thinking that these chapters are entertaining enough to be viewed but not enough to write a single sentence about. I will be getting my next chapter prepared for next month, I don't want to become one to hold my stories hostage. I only request that if you enjoy these chapters or even hate them to write a review and tell me why.

**Malpractice? Part 2**

The flow of the river combined with the sounds of the native wildlife about the forest gave birth to a wonderful symphony of noise, which meant there was no one practicing in training ground eight. However, through the peace and harmony a small series of straining sounds pierced over them all. Hinata Hyuuga was sitting on the river's edge stretching out her limbs, joints, and other sore places on her body. She had already completed her fighting routine in which while on the water, she practiced all of her family strikes and stances. She had completed it in record time, and was simply trying to get her aches under control before starting to work on the practice dummy and trees.

'This doesn't feel that bad today,' she thought while she leaned completely flat on her stomach from her split position. She slowly brought herself back up to sitting; she looked around for a second before activating her Byakugan to inspect the surrounding area. It was clear so she could do "that" stretch without feeling self-conscious. She sat back while slowly bringing both of her legs up to her head, touching her forehead to her tibia. She breathed a sigh of relief when the aches of her starting warm up melted away. She had been training herself to keep her flexibility at maximum, since the gentle fist style relied mostly on evasive movement over forceful blocking.

It had been nearly two hours now since she began, but she needed to keep going. It was the only way she was going to become strong enough to get a certain blonde's attention. She flopped back on her back, staring up toward the sky. Her mind was racing with a series of thoughts all chained together, it made it exceptionally hard to concentrate on anything else.

'I wonder what Naruto-kun is doing right now? Why Neji-niisan wasn't at breakfast this morning and what was it that occurred so suddenly he couldn't train with me? Why am I feeling so full of energy lately?' she pondered each question for a series of minutes, coming out of her trance due to the blinding rays of the sun that stood at its apex for the day.

She shrugged feeling some of the worry fall to the way side, mainly because she didn't have any answers for them at the time. It was best she start focusing primarily on her training and maybe she could do something more relaxing later on. She walked over to one of the solid wood posts that had been placed for ninja to temper their fists against. It helped to form a tolerance to pain and improve striking ability. She positioned herself before the center one of the set of three, it was her usual one she practiced on. She had wrapped it previously with a thick mattress to protect her hands from being scarred; she was female and wanted to keep her hands relatively soft for her future husband. It was partly stained with some blood from her earlier years, she had been a lot more dedicated back then to her training. However, it never seemed truly fruitful with her stamina constantly giving before her spirit, which was why her current ability was on par for a Chuunin. She placed her left hand forward, and lowered back down into a comfortable stance for delivering blows. She began her series of strikes attacking with deadly precision and speed, as she stabbed and slammed her palm into the wooden post relentlessly. She focused entirely on her chakra taking special care to balance it amongst her entire hand, which made sure it equally delivered force to all she struck with it.

*CRACK*

Hinata blinked losing her concentration, mainly due to the sound that made her worry about the condition of her bones.

'My hands are fine,' she assured herself mentally as she withdrew both of them, opening and closing both individually to confirm it.

Hinata shrugged, feeling whatever it was didn't affect her at the moment. It was best she just finish up her repetitions then return home tired and start another day. Her features took on the appearance of a small frown as she took a low spirited attack at the defenseless post.

*CRACK!*

The Hyuuga heir felt her senses sharpen, she was sure that had come from the post…but that wasn't possible. Anyone who knew about the Gentle Fist fighting style understood that the strikes were meant to disrupt the organs and tenketsu points using controlled released chakra. This was accomplished because both the organs and tenketsu points were fragile to foreign chakra. Under normal circumstances it would take not only unbelievable control of chakra, but also a large quantity of it to deliver blows that caused impact damage. She brought her hands up making her family seal.

"Byakugan," she said as the world began to evaporate into a shroud of black and white. She held back a gasp when she looked behind the padding of the post to see the harm that had been done. Hinata bit her lip with nervous teeth, it couldn't be possible that she had done…well that! The solid wood had holes in it, not pushed fully out of the log itself; nonetheless, it was no longer structurally sound. She jabbed at the post to confirm her finding, and was astonished with the post released a symphony of cracks and creaks as it tumbled to the ground.

Hinata Hyuuga couldn't believe what had occurred, she felt her face nearly fall off her head from the shock.

'The wood must've finally started to weaken,' she thought, attempting in vain to make a possible explanation for what happened. Hinata wasn't an idiot, nor was she dense when it came to most matters. Still she didn't want to accept the alternative. It being that she had somehow gained so much strength she no longer could control it. That would be horrible, and she knew it just wasn't possible there hadn't been anything she had changed over the past…

"Uh oh," she whispered, starting to poke her index fingers together when the resounding of Doctor Taro's voice nearly deafened her with the words: "BODY BLANKING."

'Could that be the reason why everything had changed? No more fainting, fighting evenly against Neji-niisan, the damage done to the training post, and the ease in which she went through her usual exhausting training?'

She felt herself despairing in the fact she was now fully better from her disorder. Now things were starting to go well for her and she more or less didn't want it. She wallowed in the spiral of self-pity, when the sudden realization of her current state brought a plethora of inquiries.

'How is this possibly a bad thing…I've defeated Neji for the first time in my life, and I won't faint around Naruto-kun anymore.' It abruptly felt like the sun had finally cleared away the dark clouds, letting the light shine in and the true magnitude of the situation took hold.

"Naruto-kun..." She smiled so hard it nearly hurt from the lack of her facial muscles' actual practice in taking that form. Hinata abandoned the training post and started to run back toward the village, skidding to an immediate halt by a large tree.

'I need to push myself harder, if I want Naruto-kun to notice my improvement. I can't waste this time.' She spoke with hardened resolve, lowering into her fighting stance.

"I'll see you soon, Naruto-kun," She whispered as she began to test how far her body could take her now.

* * *

He applied the necessary force to pull the covering over his right hand. It was going to be a bit of a tight squeeze, but it would work out fine. Taro was sitting in the chair of his office looking up at a clock with both of its hands nearly pointing to the sky. He grinned getting the glove down to his wrist; he was now prepared for the grand entrance. Just as Lord Hyuuga entered through the door to Taro's office the sound of snapping latex echoed throughout. Hiashi raised his head to behold the scene before him. He felt his eyes widen when he noticed the bulge on the index finger of the gloved hand, he coughed to hide it.

"Lord Hyuuga, good to see you," Taro chimed with an evil glint in his eyes that wasn't too far from his normal appearance.

"As it is you, Taro-san; I hate to disappoint you, but our clan doctors are more than capable of providing physicals," Hiashi said ignoring the impulse to be intimidated by the large ring on Taro's index finger.

"Oh, well your messenger didn't specify the problem, so I figured we start from the bottom." Taro pulled off the glove along with a large bulky metal ring, which vanished into one of the pockets on his white coat.

"I require a simple eye examination, please make sure to take care of my clan's pride," Hiashi said noting the sneer Taro rewarded him with.

"Follow me, please," Taro said with a now blank face as the Hyuuga followed him out of his office and down the many halls and doors to a small room with the familiar eye examination machine that always looked somewhat alien.

"Take your seat please, Hyuuga-sama," Taro grumbled, pulling out the man's chart and double checking to see any possible mistakes that had been made since the past examination.

Taro took his time making certain he hadn't missed anything. He knew for a fact Hiashi wasn't sick or had a disorder, but he couldn't be sure if his eyes were just starting to fail with age.

"Alright, let's begin," Taro dimmed the lights to a very low setting, making the room seem like it was nighttime. He brought the lens apparatus to Hiashi's face, making sure to establish it directly at eye level. The wall they were facing had a large scale on it containing numerous letters, numbers, and even special shapes.

"Can you read me the center line, and the lower one?"

"E, Z, D, H, 3, I, L," came the monotone reading of the clan head. Hiashi blinked a few times remoistening his eyeballs, and starting the next horizontal line.

"P, Q, R, N, 5, 2, A."

"Correct on both," Taro went to make an adjustment to the lens, coming face to face with the Hyuuga always made him aggravated. The male's face just seemed to rub his temper the wrong way for some reason.

Hiashi made no change in his features at the other ninja before him; he secretly wanted to show his disgust for the lower blood limit user. Taro was in his opinion an abomination to both his status as a shinobi and doctor. The man seemed to despise everyone else, saw everything as an annoyance, not to mention the anger he seemed to have against other doujutsu users.

"Finished," Hiashi asked, somewhat annoyed when Taro seemed confused to how the instrument functioned.

"Nope, and we won't be if you keep interrupting me, Lord Hyuuga," Taro replied with no shortage on the serving of sarcasm and disdain.

"Forgive me. We share a common trait, Taro-san, neither of us can tolerate stupidity. I felt you would have more empathy for my situation."

Taro rolled his eyes, doing his best not to reach around the lens and shove a chakra scalpel into the older man's brain. He gritted his teeth and brought himself back to a calm manner. It wouldn't be right to kill him for such a small comment. Besides, he had learned one simple lesson in his life, if you need to get back at someone make them suffer. Don't get angry, get sadistic.

Taro rotated the lens one too far making no attempt to repair the "mistake" he had just caused.

"Forgive me, Lord Hiashi, I think you have me confused. I don't despise stupidity; I actually find great joy in it." He smiled, making sure the line about to be shown was near impossible to be read.

"Alright read the next pair and we should be done."

Hiashi was forced to squint his eyes, trying to make the black shapes into actual letters. He thought about activating his Byakugan to be able to see with perfect clarity. However, using his blood limit would make the test negligible, because the activated blood limit gave anyone telescopic and microscopic vision.

"B…Q…D…T, Y, Z….4. G…H…L…I…I…O…0."

Taro had to keep his hand over his mouth to stifle the laughter threatening to expel from his lips. It was perfect for an easy revenge. He came over and checked the setting on the machine while marking down the number of wrong letters.

"Wait for me outside my office please, Hyuuga-sama," Taro grumbled, heading back toward his office after stopping to grab a few items to finish his plan.

Hiashi got out of his chair, turning and straightening his back in the solitude of the examination room. He walked slowly back to the office, both a bit annoyed and worried as to why he couldn't read the prior two lines. He wasn't a stupid man; he knew something had to have been done to affect his ability to read properly. Though it was doubtful, Taro was many distasteful things. However, even he wouldn't be brainless enough to accidentally or intentionally misdiagnose. If he did, he would feel the wrath of both the Hyuuga clan combined with the Hokage. He finally arrived back at the office, waiting with a high level of patience for the tribulations he'd been handed thus far. He decided it best to close his eyes and meditate; it would help to ease his nerves along with the already throbbing artery at his right temple.

"Hyuuga-sama, come in."

Hiashi entered into the office where Taro was sitting with a serious face that was nearly impossible for him to maintain. Taro rubbed his hands together looking at his list of results; he was ready now, he just needed to make it seem perfectly realistic.

"Well, your right eye can see just perfectly, Hyuuga-sama. But it seems that your left eye has gotten lazy," Taro said, reaching into his drawer and pulling out the item he had acquired for this instance. Hiashi felt the collective mask he always wore crack, as the annoyance of Taro finally pushed him past his breaking point.

"Taro-san, there has never - in all the record books of my clan - been a member who needed those disgraceful instruments."

His mood was a definite site to behold. Here was the great Hyuuga Hiashi, teeth clinched tight enough to hurt his jaw and practically seething anger, hate, and even a minute bit of killing intent.

All of which went unnoticed by Taro, who merely looked at him with a serious expression.

"Lord Hyuuga, I apologize for not allowing you to maintain clan tradition. Nevertheless, if you don't wear these prescription glasses, your vision will get worse." He held out the item again without a single moment of hesitation in his demeanor.

Hiashi stood firm on his belief he wouldn't require the assistance of some warped glass to see well. Although, if his sight did get worse, it could lead to other problems for both his clan and family. He let his jaw go slack to keep from crushing his teeth into white powder. He bowed, showing his respect to his doctor for diagnosing him; even if this was one he felt wasn't done appropriately. Hiashi stepped backwards to head back toward the exit, only to be shocked by the impact of his foot against an object he hadn't observed when he walked in. He turned his gaze downward to observe the cause of the clanking noise and his abrupt bump. Hiashi squinted his eyes at the fact that now both of his feet were wet with water, dirty water from a bucket that was filled with paintbrushes. Taro sat wide eyed as the Hyuuga all but marched over to him, and came into a close enough distance that no one could hear but them.

"Taro-sama, I will take these glasses. However, if a single word of this incident leaks beyond these walls, you are going to have something to truly fear worse than my nephew." He said slowly taking the glasses from the doctor's hands and hiding them quickly into his robe.

Taro moved his head in, almost pushing his forehead against the Hyuuga. He even made sure to lift up his eye patch so he could look at the Hyuuga eye for eye.

"Hyuuga Hiashi, I'm not intimidated by the Hokage. What chance do you think there is that you or anyone else could threaten me into doing anything?"

He kept the man's gaze, making sure not to give anything away; but decided it was enough what he had accomplished.

"Since this is a clan request, I won't make note of anything or to anyone. Just make sure to wear those for at least three hours every day to regenerate the damage that's already been done."

The two held their locations at the current proximity, neither seeming to want to back away before the other. Hiashi was the first to break the battle of wills, due primarily to the uncomfortable feel of having water in his sandal. He turned and left out the door without another word. Taro took a moment to place his file on Hiashi back in his clan folder, and even took the time to pick the bucket back up from where it had toppled over. He sighed deeply, looking down at the mess, almost feeling sad…before beginning to laugh with enough exuberance to fall to his knees.

'I can't believe he fell for that, I wasn't planning on the bucket actually spilling on him,' he thought with a smirk, wondering how much more enjoyment he could get out of this before the Hyuuga leader caught on.

Hiashi had left the office, making his way back to the compound with numerous things on his mind. How was he going to explain this matter to the council? Was his vision getting that bad that he couldn't see where things were located anymore? He felt those two bouncing around in his mind, yet something appeared off to him about Taro's statement. Neji had informed him earlier that he had threatened Taro to make his appointment, yet Taro wasn't even remotely fearful of him. Which meant one fact he needed to immediately take care of…One of them had lied to him.

* * *

She took a minute to fully catch her breath. Her lungs burned with each precious ounce of oxygen she sucked down. She was unsure if there was some damage done to her internal organs from the training, because her body had never hurt so badly in her entire life. She put her hands on her knees, slumping down her head to try and get more air in despite her chest muscles' pleas to stop working. Hinata looked up to witness the damage she had done to the surrounding area, which looked like a small war had occurred. The trees that had made up the forest were now lying on their side in submission. Many of them were snapped at their bases, while an unlucky few had been splintered all over leaving pointy tombstones to their former glory. She sighed at the destruction she had reaped. It was a part of the shinobi lifestyle to destroy at times, yet it didn't make it any easier on one's conscience.

'Maybe I overdid it a little,' she thought when the pain in her palm shot up her elbow, smashing into her shoulder joint.

She finally started to return to her normal self, well most of her normal self. She began her walk back to the village, unable to suppress the smile that was chiseled on her face. It didn't seem like a miraculous event when a ninja could push themselves past their previous limits. On the other hand, when said ninja could do such excruciating training for nearly six hours without going into chakra exhaustion it was somewhat of a marvel. Hinata had extended her training time by leaps and bounds, along with doing specific strikes she had learned before but was unable to practice due to inadequate chakra flow. She felt a sense of pride in her abilities for once, and it almost felt fun to train. Deep down she wondered if this was how everyone felt when they had completed a successful training session. She felt her sore muscles straining to resist any further movement, almost grinding to a halt with the attempts to extend.

'I'm done for the day,' she breathed in relief. She couldn't push her limbs anymore and besides, there was something else making her want to return.

Hinata walked, holding onto her stomach area because a series of cramps that had risen up from nowhere. The gurgling sound from yesterday didn't seem to have found enough reason to return. Still she wanted to, hopefully, take care of her "problem" before she got back and everyone heard her intestines groan in want for food - like a starving pet. It took quite a bit of time for her to return to the village. She had walked a majority of the way back, since she wasn't in any type of rush. Besides, she hadn't given much thought on what she was planning to consume.

"Hey, Hinata!" The Hyuuga female nearly jumped out of her skin when the voice of the male behind her echoed.

She turned slowly, seeing three faces she recognized with ease. Kiba had been the one to call out to her, while dashing towards her with Akamaru to grab a hold of her attention. Shino and Kurenai-sama were coming up behind the canine pair, both seeming perfectly content with taking their time.

"Hello Kiba-kun…and Akamaru," she partly laughed while offering Kiba a wave and giving Akamaru a long rub on the top of his head.

"Good afternoon, Kurenai-sama, Shino-kun," she added as they approached her.

"Hinata-san," Shino offered with a bow.

"Afternoon, Hinata," Kurenai added at last, happy to see her sole female student seeming to be doing well.

"Well its good fortune that we ran into you. We were about to head look for you at your home."

'Look for me at home?' The Hyuuga female wondered why they were looking for her in the first place. They didn't have orders or any missions planned recently.

"Why? Is our team needed for something," she asked, finding her voice suddenly amongst the unexpected possibility of the worst.

Her teammates all shared a collected stare before the bug user spoke out to alleviate the confusion of the situation.

"Our team has always maintained a close friendship regardless of the individual promotions in rank. Time has been decreasing in our interacting with one another," Shino finished in his monotone voice, causing both Kiba and Kurenai to sweat drop at his choice of words.

"What he means is that we haven't seen each other in sometime, so we all thought it was a good idea to get together and have lunch," Kiba said watching the confused expression on Hinata's face melt into one of understanding.

All the while Shino touched his glasses and exhaled softly.

'That is exactly what I said,' he thought, curious as to why his teammates choice expressions seemed to transcend the language gap better than his own.

Hinata felt her stomach ache again; it was starting to get a little hard to keep from showing any sign of it. She wasn't unhappy with her friends wanting to spend time with her and have lunch, what she was worried about was if any of them noticed the alteration in her appetite. Although, now that she truly was focusing on the matter of food, she had forgotten to bring enough ryu notes to accommodate for her hunger. It just wouldn't be proper to request any of them to pay for her, and she worried that they were just as low on finances as she was.

"Um…I'm sorry but I can't afford it."

"Don't worry about it, Hinata-chan. It's my treat this time," Kiba cut her off, making the possible excuses melt away and letting her relax and enjoy her friends.

"Where are we going," she asked, secretly hoping that it would be the Ichiraku ramen shop since she wanted to "accidentally" run into her crush.

"Follow me," Kiba smirked as he led his team further down the street. The group walked for around ten minutes before arriving at the large building that smelled heavily of grilled meat. It was a relatively new barbeque place. It had been established shortly after the last one went out of business, due to the fact that it had offered an all you can eat daily special, which was poor foresight considering the Akimichi clan decided to dine there with all its members. That's when all of Konoha learned not to put up all you can eat establishment.

The building was called The Golden Flower, it was an exquisite place with a large set of stained black doors and a wooden exterior painted a light hazel. The interior was even more impressive than the outside; the floor was polished wood that was stained an orange brown. There were tables lining the walls with windows that had forest green curtains draping down over them to limit the light allowed in. Hinata was enthralled by the beauty of the place, but it seemed to lose its influence due to the loud gurgling sound that overwhelmed the collective noise of the customers.

Hinata blushed, a dark red staining her cheeks. She took a series of deep breaths to force the redness down so as not attract any further attention. Her lungs ceased to function when her teammates all turned about with puzzled looks upon their faces. They wondered where and what it was that had caused that sound. Several other customers and even the hostess standing behind the small desk near the entrance gave a swift glance in the Hyuuga's direction to locate the sound's origin.

"Welcome to 'The Golden Flower' How many will it be," the hostess asked with partial concern due the ominous sound, yet trying to maintain herself for their customers.

"Four...," Kurenai stopped at the feel of a wet tongue lapping at the palm of her right hand,

"Ah, five to be exact," she corrected herself.

"This way please," she abandoned her place at the counter and carried four menus to a corner of the restaurant. The table was set up like a traditional style barbeque place. There was a large circular table with a steel circular grill placed in the center and a warm fire beneath it to keep it hot. It was one of the few places that didn't cook the meal, per say. It gave the customers the option to cook the meats to their personal preference. Everyone took their seat. Hinata sat next to Kiba and across from Shino, with Kurenai beside him. Akamaru sat beside his master at the floor, seeming to anticipate catching a few leftovers if he was patient enough with Kiba's eating habits. They were each given a menu that was nothing more than a list of different grades of meats along with a few dishes for people actually attempting to consume a healthy balance of protein and vegetables. Team eight seemed mesmerized by the selection on the menu; however, one member felt uneasy. Hinata felt almost faint. She had forgotten how long it had been since she last ate. Her best guess placed it at around nine twenty, and it was almost four now. The painful cramps seemed to be returning at an alarming rate. She hadn't thought much on the possible negatives her condition would leave her with. She had come to accept it as a new found strength; yet if she was caught in a battle like this, she wouldn't last long when her own body was hindering her at the second. It wasn't anything agonizing, though the feeling was close to that of having someone grip her stomach and squeezing it till it wanted to pop. Hinata took a few deep breaths to steady her body and thanked Kami when the waitress arrived.

"Welcome. I'm Anzu, what would please you," she asked with an almost too bubbly expression.

Everyone seemed ready to order; but to each person's surprise their normally shy, soft spoken teammate was the first to pierce the silence.

"I'd like..."

* * *

The sun was starting to fade behind the Hokage Monument, leaving him with very little light to do his work. Taro had finished his paperwork long ago, and was now caught in a struggle to ease his self perfecting instinct. His tongue slid between his lips, his teeth holding it in place as his fine tipped brush placed a flattering curve on the thigh of his latest master piece. It was another of his female collection. The drawing was more of a silhouette of a short red haired lady seeming to have just come up from the calm lake water for air with a dark moonscape behind to flatter her abundant upper curves. He took a deep breath, finishing the last strands of hair. He reached behind him and mixed his paints together to find the perfect colors to bring his creation to life.

"She single," a voice from behind almost made him spill his black paint into his white.

Taro sighed and turned about, seeing an all too familiar face of an older male with spiky white hair flowing down to his back.

"Knocking causes less destruction, Jiraiya-sama," Taro said putting his paints down and stretching his back from the extensive hour he had put into it.

"Long time, no see, Taro," the toad sannin greeted, but gradually appeared to trail off his line of thought since looking at the C cup size chakra reserves on the painted female did pull ones attention away from other matters.

"Fortunately, like the other females you are accustomed to, Jiraiya, she too will be for sale shortly," Taro said and took his place behind his desk and opened one of the drawers hidden in a secret compartment underneath the bottom one.

Jiraiya laughed looking at the image a little longer before walking toward the desk.

"I find the real ones more warming to my presence. That and it's more fun bringing out their passion."

"Passion and hate aren't the same feelings, Jiraiya-sama," he cut in, bringing out a lock box with a chakra seal on the top of it for safe keeping. It generally was used for clan documents, making it so only a member of the specific blood line could open it. Taro funneled his chakra into it and the sides unlocked to reveal the inner treasure. Inside the box was a large stack of papers featuring manga style pictures and dialogue.

"Done already with it I see," Jiraiya stated with a beam of excitement, looking at the first few pages; happy to see Taro had seized every detail of his work into his drawings.

Taro pretended to appear uninterested. It was hard enough he had to read the Icha Icha series to imagine the scenes, but then placing the drawings with the "Dialogue" too had taken about two months worth of slacking off to finish.

"Yes, I'm sure your fan base will expand now that we have turned your master piece into a picture book," he said with aggravated disdain heavy in his voice.

Jiraiya couldn't hear him since a few of the pictures had given him a small nosebleed.

"Payment," Taro said, trying his best to snap the older man out of his perverted Zen state and get him out of his office before he was accused of being a pervert too from keeping the company of a self proclaimed super one.

Jiraiya reached into his shirt, pulling out a rather large bundle of ryu notes. He placed it on the desk and slowly pushed it toward Taro, suddenly stopping.

"Are there any beautiful women at the hot spring tonight," he asked with a perverted smile.

"Doctor's orders," Taro smiled back.

Jiraiya took his palm off the bundle of cash, letting Taro pull it into his hands and hide it away in his own coat.

"Shouldn't you count?"

"I trust you, Jiraiya-sama."

Jiraiya scoffed before he vanished in a swirl of leaves and smoke, leaving a large number of them now swimming in the open containers of color paint. Taro grumbled seeing that he would now have to clean up his office. He hated that damn jutsu. Sure it was useful, but not when it made a mess of the one place he had to hide from the outside ninja population.

Taro began searching through his drawers to find a set of examination gloves to clean up his materials. However, something seemed off about his office. There was definitely a different scent in the air…it was like…he couldn't exactly put his finger on it. That was before a kunai was placed against his throat. He didn't show any sign of fear, after all, he knew all too well who it was.

"Anko, I'm glad to see you again."

"Heh, being stuck behind a desk has made you a bit sloppy," she smiled, seeming to have razor sharp teeth combined with the need to see a little gore.

"I knew you were here for a bit, since there's only one person I know who smells like blood and vanilla." Taro vanished being replaced by a mannequin.

"Anko, I would appreciate it if you didn't try and destroy my medical equipment."

A quick flash of black and silver whished by leaving a sliver size wound, a mere cut that was harmless…to most ninja only though. Taro quickly pulled out a square of gauze and immediately put pressure on the wound to get the bleeding to stop.

"Good to see you as well," she said amused in the speed he had to fix up the injury she had placed on him.

Taro didn't answer, pulling out an emergency shot of vitamin K. He took off the cap with his teeth and put the tip into his cheek pumping the entire thing into himself. Taro didn't like to admit it, but there were two reasons why he was stuck in the village. The first was that he was the last of his clan and the sole carrier of his blood limit, meaning the council of the wonderful Konoha village had voted he be on inactive shinobi duty until he produced an heir. The second…he was a hemophiliac, he lacked the adequate amount of platelets in his blood that normally allowed blood to clot quickly; meaning even the slightest damage, a bump, scratch, cut…could be fatal.

"You know for a damn fact you can kill me doing that, Anko," he spat, focusing a little bit of chakra into the palm of his hand to start mending the flesh back together. If he could seal up the outside damage the vitamin would take care of the internal bleeding.

"It's not a life threatening wound. I do remember the time we spent together during the last war."

"I choose to not really remember it."

"Why? Don't you miss the feeling of battle?"

Taro didn't know how to respond to that. During his active service he had reached the rank of Jounin due to a field promotion when he and Anko had survived an ambush and returned with information pertaining to a small remote village the Iwa-nins had been using for storage and refuge. But it was because of that mission he had been quarantined in the hospital for almost a year to recover from his wounds. Also it had been that very same event that left his eye in its current state.

"Sometimes, there are certain things best taken out of one's life forcefully."

"You miss being out on the field. I wouldn't mind either if I could see how much time left I had 'til…"

"I don't. I guess what I do miss is the random ability to sleep with whoever I meet."

He smiled noticing Anko's right eye twitch, which easily gave away what had happened prior; since she only did visit him after extended missions.

"That's something I can relate to," she turned away with her eyes closed, almost reminiscing about certain erotic activities she had participated in.

"Care to tell me what his name was? Or did you not take the time to ask?"

Anko's mood changed faster than a flicker. The contented female had instantly gone from easy going to murder. She didn't like what Taro was insinuating. She wasn't a whore by any means. She had standards and someone had to meet them before even having a chance of talking to her. While many ninja seemed focused on the idea of love behind the sexual acts, they rarely indulged in them. She saw it as a necessity to being healthy and sane. It was another urge the body had; and while certainly love could make it better, sometimes it was better to relieve the itch even if the person you did it with did not have a special connection with you.

"What makes you assume I've done anything lately?"

"Besides the aggravation, you only put that vanilla perfume on when you plan on meeting someone for 'midnight training'."

Anko gritted her teeth, wondering if maybe it would be easier to just slice Taro up into tiny pieces and have him randomly vanish into one of the rivers around Konoha. Nevertheless, there was a reason why she came anyways so it was best to just get it over with.

"Here," she almost growled out, putting a pair of wrapped books on the surface and separating them.

Taro looked at the items and showed his ex-teammate something no one in the entire village saw before…his real smile, not the common one he used when he was planning evil; but one of sheer joy at the particular type of literature she brought him. He undid the wrapping slowly, taking delicate care to protect the contents inside. He peeked in to see the last two of the series he had requested of Anko, edition nine and ten from the "Drawing techniques."

"Many thanks," he spoke, not seeming grateful of the cost it may have required for her to obtain such items. Although he postulated it had something to do with offering a bit of the forbidden fruit that was Anko Mitarashi.

"So were your feminine wiles enough to afford such great literature?"

"I thought you of all people would've remembered the worth of such a delicacy," she smiled, causing Taro to rotate in his chair with a light blush about his features, mostly because she believed she was the only one to rouse such a reaction out of him. Yet she did think it best to fully explain the situation before the idiot take things the wrong way.

"I had to lie about sleeping with the man who was holding onto those rare books, Taro."

"Sure," Taro said, not convinced as he counted out the necessary amount of money to pay for both services and transport of the items. He turned his head and pushed the money over the wood desk, not seeming anymore interested in further social interaction with friends.

Anko wasted no time in grabbing the funds provided and began to count it thoroughly. She didn't put it past Taro to short change her since he did seem rather cheap, despite the money he got paid.

"Twenty thousand, normally you would try and pay me half that?"

"Just call it hazard pay for your body," he said, already reading away at the last remaining brush strokes and blending techniques he had yet to put into practice.

"Care to join me for a drink, Taro," she asked as the final bit of her kindness was now wearing thin.

"Can't… Doctor's orders, you know," he offered with a casual wave.

Anko grinned, looking down at the exposed paint buckets and vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving taro alone in his office. He put the book down in his lap when the slow smoldering sound of fire met his ears.

*BOOM*

A thudding of some unknown substance impacted the back of his chair. As the awareness of the event set into his mind, he rotated back and faced his door only to see his office was beautifully decorated as an abstract piece of art…a pink and yellow piece of art. He grumbled putting his head in his hands, knowing the remainder of his money was going toward getting a new office.

"Anko…you're going to be the death of me," he groaned, deciding to move to another, less disruptive, environment.

* * *

Everyone was dumbfounded. No, that was an understatement to what they were all feeling. The members of team 8 were at a loss given the situation befalling them at the current moment. Hinata had seemed perfectly fine when they ordered. She had simply asked for a single meal of beef with soup to go along with it. However, that was the only point of normality noted during the meal. Hinata Hyuuga had already consumed her entire meal along with the second one she ordered after the first, and even had asked Shino for his leftovers since he had already finished filling himself.

'Something is wrong with my student,' Kurenai thought as she couldn't pull her stare away from the small Hyuuga now stuffing herself to the point she worried she could possibly pop.

Shino had, a little earlier, pulled down his glasses to make sure he wasn't imagining things. Once he confirmed that he wasn't, he began to list off the possible explanations for his friend and teammate's new appetite.

'Hinata's physical appearance hasn't altered, nor has her pheromone level,' his mind started to construct further possibilities, each one being nullified by his logic and reason.

Kiba had stared opened mouth for a few moments, before returning to reality and doing his best not to stare at Hinata anymore. Yet he couldn't stop from thinking something must've gone wrong with her since she normally ate half her food, at most, whenever they had eaten together in the past. She looked perfectly healthy by what he could tell from observations. On the other hand, he couldn't exactly see inside her and check to see if something was wrong.

Hinata had become oblivious to her teammates all taking momentary stares at her, she was focused on a more important matter at hand, her stomach. The pain had started to recede once she ate a bit of food, though it did come back when she started to slow down. It was an odd balancing act she was attempting. While the pain had gone away, she had already eaten enough to serve two separate individuals. Not to mention, she had no idea exactly how long she would be able to last before her next feeding. After breakfast it had been nearly six hours, and if that was consistence she would only be able to last till ten or so. She swallowed another mouthful of meat, suddenly becoming aware of the number of eyes upon her from both friends and other customers surprised that a girl could eat so much. She put down her chop sticks, feeling too great a burden of embarrassment to continue on eating at such a public place. Her friends all pretended not to notice anything peculiar, they too were much too captivated by their own thoughts.

'Hinata is acting a bit strange, and how is she eating so much…there can only be one explanation,' they all thought collectively.

'Hinata is pregnant!' Kurenai thankfully held back and only shouted the accusation in her mind to save the girl's modesty. It definitely added up, since it explained the sudden excessive hunger. But how was it possible the girl had no other physical signs or boyfriend to her knowledge. Although, Kurenai knew that Hinata always wore that baggy jacket around. That made it next to impossible to check her stomach for any abnormal bulging. She felt like an idiot for not seeing it sooner. She bit her lip, wondering how she could get the Hyuuga to open up to her about it without making it horribly obvious.

'Great, Hinata must've caught that tapeworm from Akamaru,' Kiba thought, looking down at his four legged companion. He wasn't too surprised that it had occurred; she was way too sweet on the Akamaru and their last mission together she had allowed him to drink from her canteen. On the other hand though, he had gotten a tapeworm too, and also had drunk from Hinata's canteen since his had gone empty. The Inazuka rubbed his tongue against his canines trying to think of a possible way to explain the situation to his friend. Primarily because while he had caught it swiftly and been treated by his sister, it was more than likely Hinata's had gotten enough time to grow into a problem. He darted his head down trying to come up with a plan to get her treated without her knowing it.

'Hinata-sama is finally getting the nutrition she has been lacking,' Shino thought and lightly tapped his glasses acting collected as normal. He had seen it over the past years with Hinata as his teammate. She had never eaten all of her food when they dined together, she also would cut back at certain meal times. He hadn't brought it up before since logic figured that all Kunoichi secretly went on small diets to maintain their figure. In addition, since there had been no adverse problems with her physical being; he wouldn't converse with her about it since that could lead to issues between them that could damage group moral, bonds, and nerves.

Hinata rubbed her hands together, feeling shy again at the unintentional attention she had acquired from just feeding herself. She thanked Kami though when the waitress returned.

"Will there be anything else," she asked with a genuine smile, since she figured with the pale eyed girl eating so much the tip was bound to be worth the extra effort.

"No, just the bill please," Kurenai spoke, finally breaking free from the cage of her thoughts.

"Excuse me, please," Hinata whispered while keeping her face down and talking loud enough that only the table populace could take notice of her voice. Kiba moved out of the way letting her leave to wherever she was going.

"I'll be right back," Kurenai said, seeing her perfect opportunity. She already had a plan set up for the situation.

Hinata walked into the ladies restroom while activating her eyes and was relieved to see there was no one inside so she could make this quick. She waltzed over to the sink and washed her hands before she let her curiosity take over. She cleaned her hands with the provided soap and water, and unzipped her jacket to begin inspection. She looked down at her stomach, happy to see there wasn't any type of projection from her abdomen. She worried that she was showing in a rather ugly way how much she was consuming on a daily basis. This usually wasn't going to be much of a dilemma for her since she never left anywhere without her jacket. Although, if she was planning on spending more time with Naruto she would need to make sure she was "Good" enough to catch his eye. She was sure if there was a circular protrusion from her gut, he would be more nauseated then bedazzled.

Kurenai had entered quietly through the door. She didn't want to resort to such a tactic, but drastic measures needed to be taken if it concerned someone special to her. She was the first to admit her specialty wasn't in infiltration, yet her skill was suited enough for the person. She peeked around the corner, and had to cover her mouth from screaming in shock and aggravation. There was Hinata Hyuuga, the sweetest, shyest, and most innocent girl she had ever had the pleasure of teaching...checking on her abdomen. She sighed and darted back behind the wall since it had been more of a gasp of sympathy. This teenage girl was pregnant, and to make matters worse who was the father? She wasn't happy enough for it to have been that blonde boy Naruto, so it could've been anyone…well not anyone she corrected herself. Hinata was a prestigious clan heir so her standards were probably high.

'Don't worry Hinata…I won't allow you to carry this burden alone,' she thought proudly as she stopped hiding and pretended to just walk in.

"Hello, Hinata," she greeted, not surprised when the female jumped and zipped her coat back up.

Hinata was sure she swallowed her tongue and possibly flash blushed, because her face had felt so hot and fuzzy. Thankfully, she had gotten her jacket closed up before Kurenai-sensei had seen anything.

"Hello, Kurenai-sensei," she said as she washed her hands again, playing the part to get away faster.

"Hinata, I know you're going through some changes at the moment."

Hinata's skull fractured a bit from the swelling of her eyeballs at that comment. How had her sensei figured it out, no one had known she was sick. Well disabled, not ill, so how could she of identified it as something wrong. True the way she had just feasted in the restaurant had been a blatant out of character act, but she was hungry. People sometimes ate a lot when they had an appetite.

"Um, I've just been…well there is a reason for that I," she began pushing her index fingers together, well before a hand rested lightly on her shoulder.

"Hinata, whatever changes happen to you, know that everyone on this team is here for you."

Hinata didn't respond, glad in the sense her friends were here for her; though, she wondered where the sudden comforting was coming from.

"Thank you, Kurenai-sama," she replied with partial confusion, but was willing to accept the kindness.

Hinata moved around her sensei and exited the room, both happy and rather puzzled by the odd turn of events. Nevertheless, she just wanted to leave toward home and get some late night technique scroll reading in. When she and her sensei returned to the table Kiba looked a little pale, probably because he had been the one to pay the bill. Shino rose up, grabbing a hold of the partially dead teammate dragging him out of the restaurant with the entire group. When they exited everyone was ready to say their good-byes and head their separate ways.

"Good night, Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, Kurenai-sama," Hinata bowed deeply before taking off toward the Hyuuga compound.

Kiba waved bye to everyone, taking off back to his home to try and find the medical berries his family used for faster worm elimination.

Shino nodded to everyone, walking off in no particular direction. He had nothing planned for the time being, so he would simply wait the necessary amount of time for his bugs to feed off his stomach content so he could perform some physical exercise.

Kurenai couldn't help herself. She felt almost guilty that she allowed her student to go without knowing all the facts about what was occurring. She had let this happen right under her nose, and she didn't have a clue to who the father was…but she could and would.

Hinata was happy about her current situation. She felt content more than once in a single day and that was something to make note of. She looked up at the now amber stained sky, taking in the calming weather; that was until a dash of black through the air put her on defense when one of Tsunade's messengers landed before her. Hinata didn't recognize the man since he was in Anbu uniform, keeping his mask with the drawing of a bear on to protect his identity.

"Hinata Hyuuga?"

"Hai?"

"Your presence is required at the Hokage's tower please follow me," He said, vanishing with Hinata right behind him.

* * *

He sat rather impatiently in the chair Tsunade had put before her desk for him. Although he didn't exactly know what the meaning of his summoning was, he just hoped it was a mission of some sort. So why was she making him wait for such a prolonged period of time? It had been almost twenty whole minutes he had been told to sit and wait. He didn't want to complain about it, but right now baa-chan was just being rude.

He started to open his mouth, only to be silenced by the sudden explosion of killing intent Tsunade sent his way. Naruto didn't want to take his chances in pissing off baa-chan, mainly because he had felt Sakura's punches before and from the devastation Tsunade's caused he didn't want to suffer it firsthand.

A series of knocks came bringing the occupants attention to their final guest arrival.

"Come in."

Naruto turned around expecting to see Sakura-chan and/or Kakashi-sensei, hell he wouldn't have been surprised to see Sai come in. Yet walking in was…a pale eyed Hyuuga female in a baggy purple and white jacket he recognized with ease.

"Hinata," He blurted out.

"Naruto-kun," she responded just as surprised to see him there and no one else for that matter.

Though Hinata didn't seem too worried about the situation, she knew it probably wasn't a mission. If that had been the case, someone from her team or Naruto's would've been called upon as well. Still, she couldn't prevent herself from blushing. It was easier to deal with considering she felt fairly confident in her ability not to faint.

"Hinata, Naruto, thank you for coming," Tsunade began as Shizune brought her a rolled up paper scroll that had been sealed using a unique family crest the two younger ninja had never seen before. The seal wasn't made out of chakra ink; it looked like it had just merely been hot green colored wax pressed with a metal insignia from the sender.

"What's in the letter, baa-chan," Naruto asked, noting the sudden large vein in the female's forehead beginning to throb.

"Naruto, if I were meant to know, the scroll wouldn't have been closed. This message isn't meant for me, it is meant for the Fire Daimyo. I can't speak for the possible contents of it, still the person sending it has specially requested it be sent as a B-rank mission."

Naruto looked over at Hinata, wondering what could be of such importance it was listed as B-rank. He wanted to ponder it until Tsunade continued.

"While you know our village has been running behind in our missions since the attack three years ago, the Daimyo himself requested that two ninja be assigned. Therefore, I have a mission for you both."

Hinata began what seemed like a shiver from her lips, which soon turned into a full body tremor caused by the realization of what was happening to her. She was going on a mission with Naruto-kun…alone?


	5. Medical Courier

Author's Note: Long time and little seen my loyal readers. First I would like to apologize for few updates over the last several months. University is alot harder then I expected, and the work load of a Organic Chemistry class is quite overbearing. I am glad to inform that my writing classes have allowed me to edit my own material and it will increase the rate of chapter posts. Now my editor previously brought up a issue as to the length in which I write these chapters. I would like the know the opinon of the community, Which do you prefer? Chapters that are shorter or longer? I don't mind if you send a response be it a e-mail or review, but if it's on a review please comment on the story as well as give me your feedback.

Her hands were starting to shake even after the initial shock had wore off, though the pressure in her chest cavity refused to fade away. Why had she been granted a mission with solely her and Naruto-kun? It didn't make any sense. Although as a Kunoichi of the village she wasn't allowed to refuse a mission unless she was of Jounin rank. She was stuck no matter how she looked at it, she would be trapped with Naruto-kun for four days since the trip would take two days travel both ways. Hinata rubbed her index fingers together to help steady her nerves, even if it wouldn't help to solve the situation at hand. Her mind slowly cleared, letting her focus on the important thing at hand. She had a mission to accomplish…how was she going to manage it with her current condition? She had, just prior to being called in, gotten a rough estimate of how many hours she could go without eating. It was round about five hours, when she stuffed herself. She knew bringing food to cook each meal would be out of the question, since it would make the distance they traveled take longer. Many ninja didn't understand the way in which missions worked. The Hokage would receive half of the mission cost before the request and the rest upon completion, if it was done within the set parameters. Missions were constantly time sensitive, meaning that if it was done too late it could result in deaths of clients, or worse all out war if the delivery were political documents. Hinata didn't wish to be responsible for any such disaster, so she needed to think up a solution and quickly before the next day.

'What can I do…what is the best thing I can eat while we travel' She wondered trying to think of something calorie dense that was light enough to bring plenty.

She had brought foods with her for other missions, though there had been nothing she had ingested so far which was adequate for the situation. Bringing fruits and vegetables with her would make for healthy snacks with good nutrition, though they would be too cumbersome and they could go bad on the returning trip, given the heat they would possibly be exposed to.

'What could possibly survive and be ready at any time,'

Lightning seemed to strike the Hyuuga's brain as she recalled their mission of tracking down Gaara's student, Choiji had shown her a certain type of food bar he picked up at the general food store. She believed they had been called calorie bars; she didn't have any time to waste as she took off toward the food store and prayed to kami it was still open.

* * *

The raven haired female gave a hefty yawn due to both strain on her muscles and common exhaustion. Her body was coated in a thin glistening of sweat, due to the radiant heat of the hot steel she had removed from the furnace. She was helping out at her father's forge, and had herself been trained to be a quality blacksmith. Her job was to cut the metal to the needed length, and heat it to the optimum temperature. Ten-ten had been working since dawn, since her family forge supplied ninja outside of clans with swords, kunai, shuriken, and other specialty weapons upon request. She had been forced to work a full shift since her mother had been home sick with a hay fever, so she had to be the one to pull up the slack even though it was her "day off" to relax. The Fine Edge was just shutting down for the night, which was a great relief to her red irritated skin, not to mention her dehydrated body. Ten-ten came out of the back room, sighing with immense relief in reaching her water bottle and downing its cool liquid content with frantic desire. Her parched throat felt relief for the first time in about twelve hours; she only hoped a nice cold shower would relieve her skin and hair.

"Father I'm going home" She yelled to him from the side exit knowing he already was expecting her to leave for home.

She was in no rush to return to her house, she felt content in walking the streets slowly enjoying the cool night breeze against her exposed bits of flesh. She had decided to wear work clothes in fear of putting burn holes into her everyday clothes; since each was specially made by one of the clothing modifiers of the village. It was more economically savvy of her not to figuratively and literally burn her hard earned money. Her outfit was little more than heavy duty pants, and a white flame retardant shirt. The home she shared with her parents was small, but adequate since her family owned and operated the best weapons manufacturer in the entire fire country. At least that was the collected opinion of their satisfied customers.

She entered through the front door, knowing she could simply jump up to the second floor, but it was better if she checked in on her mother so she could get her days of relaxation back.

"I'm home" She chimed walking into the small living area to see her mom sprawled out on the couch, so she had the perfect angle to look out into the night sky.

"Are you feeling better?" She inquired watching the ill female simply roll her head and looking already to be in the process of recovering.

"Hai, I think my fever is starting to break, how was business at the shop today?"

She asked weakly

"We sold a lot of our stock, dad will be working late to replace them" she said walking toward the stairs to start her trip to the shower.

"Oh that Hyuuga teammate of yours stopped by today, something about training and ground number twelve or maybe it was ten" She rambled on as her daughter got out of ear shot.

Ten-ten's walk turned abruptly into a run as she decided to freshen up before going to see her teammate. Neji didn't care much if she was clean or not, since she got grimy from their team training sessions. But she hadn't been training that day, and she had some level of her feminine charm to maintain. She decided to save time and simply strip herself bare while dashing toward the shower. She didn't want to lose precious seconds, Neji was a dedicated shinobi and when he started training he wouldn't stop until he could just barely walk home. The shower burst to life with an ice cold cascade of water, she jumped being stunned by the cold on her sensitive regions. She resisted the urge to shiver, knowing she had limited time left to get herself washed and smelling pleasant so as to not offend others within breathing range. She was immediately washing herself, pouring a green apple fragrant soap into a wash cloth and scrubbed at the built up sweat and dirt. It was the only fragrance she felt meshed with her personality, since it was pleasant without being overpowering. The feeling of the water shortly went from pleasant to unbearable, due to the loss of heat which had taken place over the six minutes it took her to finish. She decided to cut a corner and just pour the shampoo onto her head, and rinse it out while rubbing it vigorously into her scalp to get rid of dead skin and grim. She jumped out not taking any more time, mainly due to the fact her breasts and nether region were starting to become sensitive from the cold. Ten-Ten wrapped herself up in a warm towel, scurrying off to her room to get into some fresh clothes. She decided to lay out the clothes she would wear. The outfit she chose was a pair of black pants, with a blue top having a golden button design in the front which went from her right hip to her left shoulder in a diagonal. Her hair still dripped on the fabric as she hurried to slip into the clothes, though she knew already she couldn't put it up until it dried for at least an hour. The wait would normally be a necessity, though she doubted Neji would have any patience left after kami only knew how early he stopped by to ask for assisting in training. She wringed out the water she could, while opening her window to start off toward training ground ten.

* * *

The night sky wore the moon now as its pendent, offering all of fire country enough light to train or merely do what brought them peace. Neji was doing the complete opposite. His was face covered in sweat, and his gi was soaked to the point of becoming transparent as it clung to his aching muscles. He couldn't care less what the time was; he wasn't going to stop until he felt he made advancement in his skills. He pursued something that was unheard of for most; a large jump in ones abilities with one day of intense training was almost as ridiculous as trying to get water out of a rock. The ground about him was the shape of a concave circle, with all the grass and weeds blown away by his Kaiten technique. He had gradually been attempting, the entire time he was training, to expand the area he could cover with it. It was a problematic balancing act that he was trying, on one hand if he turned while lower to the ground he could get more speed and increase the deflection ability of the chakra orb. Though this caused the chakra to push further horizontally, turning the sphere into an egg shaped oval. Meaning a weak point was then present from above. The other option was for him to turn slower while standing up, even if that meant giving up the amount he could ward off all around.

'Just a little faster spin and greater chakra release,' he scrutinized himself as he planted his feet

"Kaitan," He shouted with an explosive burst of speed, sending out a continuous wave of chakra from every pore in his skin.

Ten-ten stopped suddenly when she heard the sound of tree bark splintering and cracking, followed shortly by an earth shaking thud of an ancient tree ending its days of standing in the forest. She jumped onto another set of branches, spotting Neji bent over at the waist, seeming to be at a complete loss of breath.

'How long has he been out here?' she wondered jumping down to the ground and approaching him.

"Ten-Ten, I had expected you to arrive sooner," he said not even turning to face her.

The girl gave a sigh, what had she honestly expected in trying to approach someone who could see around himself with his blood limit. Sometimes he just took all the fun out of attempting to be playful.

"Sorry, I had to fill in for my mother at the shop today. What was it you needed anyways?" she asked rubbing the back of her head feeling like she somehow was in trouble for helping her family.

"I would like to request your assistance in perfecting my kaitan technique. I believe I've become lax in my training," He said starting to stretch out the knots in his arms and legs.

"Okay, if you felt you needed intense exercise why didn't you just ask Lee or Gai-sensei to set out a program for you?"

Neji didn't want to say why he had rejected the idea of asking his eccentric sensei and teammate for assistance. While Gai and Lee were wonderful at motivating and pushing themselves past their limits, their frequent speeches on something's flames of youth made him always feel like he was being brainwashed.

"Think about that," he groaned, relieved in watching said female cringe her face imagining herself alone training with the bowl hair cut twins.

"I see why you asked me, are…"

"No, my training is complete for the night. Meet me here at eight in the morning we can start then," He cut her off letting some of his displeasure of losing time.

"Alright," She smirked, figuring it was for the best since she hadn't brought any of her weapons scrolls along.

Neji brushed the dirt from his gi, turning away from Ten-ten while considering if he should ask the one thing which had been eating away at him.

"Ten-ten, may I ask you something?"

"Hmm," she hummed out, not knowing what he could be asking.

"Do I appear to have gained weight," he asked seeming well too interested in the ground.

"What," Was all she could manage to reply, since the question had come out of nowhere.

"Nothing, it doesn't matter I will see you here tomorrow then. Good night, Ten-ten." He said as he stumbled away.

"Good night," She sighed still confused by the Hyuuga prodigy.

Ten-ten didn't want to admit it, but she knew how to deal with most males. Guys in her opinion weren't that complicated, it was easy to know what they were thinking or wanted. Neji though was the exception. One day he could be honorable and giving enough to make her think he enjoyed her company. On the other hand, there were days he was so irritable and self centered, she honestly wondered if he hated everything he came into contact with. She didn't wish to think on the matter any longer and decided to leave the area, that was until a certain piece of paper caught her eye. She walked up to the small red rectangle of paper, she didn't know exactly what it was but she guessed that Neji must've dropped it. She gave it a glance over before reaching to hold it closer to her face, there seemed to be some wear and tear on it so it probably was in his gi when he was training. She glanced at the front, only to feel her eyes narrowly bust through her skull when the word "Cathouse" stood glaring boldly up at her from the paper.

'What is this?' she almost shouted but fought the impulse to do so.

She looked over the pamphlet on both sides, making sure she hadn't misunderstood the purpose of the item. It certainly wasn't a strange item to have on a male's person, especially since prostitution was legal in Fire country. But for Neji to have such a thing on him left her dumbfounded, he never really struck her as someone who placed sex as a priority. She bit into her lip, not knowing what to do or think. However, she knew it wasn't going to help her in staying out any longer when she could be resting.

'Why would Neji be carrying this, and what was with that question he asked earlier,' she wondered tapping the item against her forehead as she traveled back toward her place of dwelling.

A sudden burst of realization came to her, she remembered a certain piece of information she had been told during their academy years.

* * *

*Five Years Ago*

She felt like it was an excessive waste of time. Why did they need to take this one day out of the year to explain how things worked between a man and woman? Ten-ten massaged her temples, while keeping her head lazily in the palms of her hands. The entire class was made up of the potential future Kunoichi from the different academy classes. She looked down seeing a few of the younger girls from the next year who were easy enough to recognized since they still looked like school girls who didn't take their roles as ninja seriously. Her attention was stolen away when a female with red eyes and brown hair came in, followed by a purpled haired female with blue grey eyes.

"Hello, I'm Kurenai and this is Anko, We'll both be the ones to explain sexual education to all of you," She began sounding like she was merely going to be teaching a standard technique

All the girls seemed to sweat drop thinking this was going to be a boring lecture with a series of awkward moments in the explanations of puberty. The class seemed to be shorter than any of the girls figured it would be, with Kurenai being the one to give an objective outlook on the issue, while Anko seemed to give a more personal outlook on the matters.

"That's why it's best to focus on kegel exercises which work the pelvic diaphragm; it can help ensure greater pleasure when you experience sex." Anko ended her train of thought, getting an evil pleasure in seeing a few girls blushing, and the Hyuuga female passed out in the back of the room from her pointers.

Ten-ten was one of the many who felt her face couldn't possibly be anymore flushed. Though she couldn't help but ask a question which had been eating away at her mind. She lifted up her hand, partly embarrassed that she was asking a perverted question; maybe all the other girls would judge her on it.

"Yes," Kurenai quieted down Anko in order to allow a few questions to be asked.

"You said a man's mindset changes after intercourse…how so?" She asked in relief of getting it off her chest, that and seeing at least one other girl nodding her head.

Kurenai smirked glad to see not everyone was repressing the lecture she was giving, and figured it only right to answer the girl.

"Technically, a male doesn't change after having sex."

Anko coughed interrupting her friend since she was certain she herself had plenty more experience with men. Kurenai decided to ignore it and continue on with her explanation.

"However, once the urge to find release is obtained a male usually starts to be more intimate and caring until his libido returns."

"Which only lasts about an hour depending on how pleasurable his release is," Anko added seeing every females face flush red and almost seem to be steaming from how embarrassing the idea was to them.

* * *

Ten-ten shook her head feeling the trembling of anger and disgust swirl up from her stomach and flood her brain with a myriad of possibilities. A single idea was clearly the most obvious; Neji had gone and found some sexual release at this…Whore House. It seemed almost impossible for Neji to do something that would be stooping so low, he as a Hyuuga did seem to have a clear sight of what was moral. But she would admit that Neji did tend to hide his problems far too well; she never would've guessed the man was sexually frustrated.

'Why didn't he tell me about it,' she pondered trying to maintain cognitive function, even with the abundant amount of frustration she was containing. She was mad for two reasons: the first that her male teammate and "friend" didn't have the sense of mind to even speak with her about his problems. That and if he had said something she felt more than willing to help him with the "pressure" he was suffering.

She crumpled the flyer up and took off home; she didn't have the sanity at the time to deal with the Hyuuga. She primarily wanted to find out who handed him this revolting item to begin with.

* * *

Hinata felt calm, for the most part. Her trip to the market had not been in vain, because she noticed a sign showing they were open twenty-four hours a day; which she figured made sense when missions could be executed at any time of day. She had found the calorie bars separated from the other survival items, and was grateful to find it in a chocolate flavor. She had made a beeline toward her room so she could prepare for the mission. She knew of the general destination they would be heading, but she had never actually visited the Fire Daimyo's Palace. The very idea of meeting such a high ranking official made her nervous, though she knew the reputation of her clan would be weighing on her shoulders if something went wrong.

She groaned trying to get that out of her head, but the other thoughts replacing them didn't rest any easier on her conscious.

'Naruto-kun is going to be depending on me for the next four days…,' she gulped with insecurity at the very idea.

She sighed pulling out her dark green travel pack; she kept it underneath her bed to ensure it wouldn't be misplaced. She checked its contents, happy to see her map of fire country still inside, along with the medical kit she had put together herself. It only took her a few moments to start arranging the necessary tools and equipment for the mission into the vacant space of the bag. It was going smoothly, though a specific item she was going to pack brought her mind to a problematic situation. She already knew she was going to bring her usual outfit and coat, since it was warm enough when it was cold and cool enough when hot. But it wasn't function that she was worried about; it was how it was going to affect her appearance. She knew she wasn't the most beautiful girl in the village, or at least she didn't feel like it. She opened her closet door so she could observe herself in the body length mirror.

"What is it you like to see a girl wearing, Naruto-kun," she asked her reflection with a tiny frown on the edges of her lips.

Hinata decided to scrutinize her physical attributes, turning and bending to see every possible angle that could be unflattering to her body type. She stopped once she bended to the side and saw some of her leg hair had returned. She normally would shave her legs while she showered to dispose of the hair. But it wasn't very long hair, and she could take better care of it with her smaller shaver. She pulled the small purple and white colored item from her top dresser drawer. She sat back on her bed and removed her black shorts, exposing her white well toned legs to the cool air inside her room. Hinata decided to take care of the easy places first, mainly the front where she could see and maneuver the cutting tool expertly for those spots. It took only a few moments to finish the front half; it was the back half she always felt was difficult. Most individuals would believe it simple for a Hyuuga to complete tasks which were in a normal person's blind spots due to their blood limit. However, what few knew was that while it was able to focus on a single spot and see all around them with the Byakugan, when it was first activated the user saw everything around them. While being out on a battle field it was a superior advantage, in a compound where there were several family members around ones room who could be naked…it was a double edged sword. The Hyuuga had an easy way around such a problem, as she lifted her right leg behind her head and began removing the minuscule hairs from her skin.

She was focusing purely on her activity, and didn't seem to care about how much time it was taking her. That was until the sliding of her door and the sound of her little sister's voice pierced through the air.

"Nee-chan, your teammates are here to...," the young girl trailed off, seeing her older sister sitting on her bed with her legs wrapped about her like a pretzel.

Hinata froze looking at the piercing eyes of Kiba and Shino; she felt mortified at the intrusion for many a reason. Hanabi hadn't knocked warning her before entering, that and she felt so embarrassed because her two male teammates were staring at her…with only a shirt and panties on. Combine that with the position she was in almost made her wish she had died instantly.

A deafening silence filled the air, as Shino brought his hand up to his mouth and coughed forcefully, and turned about to save Hinata's modesty. Kiba only continued to stare dumbfounded, with a trail of blood dripping out his nostrils.

Hinata screeched causing the entire clan, and many of the family personal guard to begin rushing to her general vicinity.

* * *

The night air was already starting to chill his hands. It was excruciating, the length he was going for this mission. Though if he succeeded, the risk would be well worth the reward. He sat alone in the doctor's lounge, since the smell of wet paint saturating his office obligated him to flee to another place. Yet this site was no better. One of the windows hadn't been repaired, permitting the cold night air in. Other doctors and nurses would've gone back to their homes if they were seeking comfort from the elements. Taro on the other hand, wasn't so fortunate to have such a safe-haven. He was the one doctor who had been volunteered by Tsunade to act as the overnight physician if none of the others wished to. Thus far he had been at the hospital for the past thirty six hours, which made him frequently wish to add a master bedroom to his office. Though he was more than certain something would happen to it, yes a certain purple haired Jounin would happen to it.

'Alright, that should about do it,' he thought as he finished the last bit of the letter he was writing.

He had just finished placing the last characteristics on the wax seal with one of his metal art tools. The scroll had been tightly rolled and now carried a green wax seal indicating it was an urgent mission and exceptionally high paying. He whistled lightly when he approached the windowsill, happy to see one of the carrier falcons they used to drop off missions. He put the scroll into the avian's carrying bag, and shoved it off the third floor edge. He watched the animal start to struggle to gain lift, and breathed a sigh of relief when the creature found a good flapping rhythm, saving itself from gravity.

"I just hope the rest of my plan goes well," he mumbled with aggravation, noting the rather large stack of medical reports he needed to finish.

* * *

The transition from the prior day to the current day seemed like a normal pace for every person of Konoha village. For Hinata Hyuuga it seemed the complete opposite, yet she was unsure how she felt with time seeming to creep toward what she dreamed of and dreaded. It was seven am, and she had been completely awake since five. Her body refused to let her sleep anymore, even though she knew it was anxiety that had been the fuel to wake her. That and the incident had left her with very little time to rest her frayed nerves and mind.

*Earlier*

Hiashi sat quietly behind his desk as he listened to the entirety of the incident reiterated from all of the parties involved. Hanabi had taken her turn explaining that she had been training in the courtyard when the two males had arrived and asked to see her sister. She had taken it upon herself to take them to her room, since that was one of the clan's traditions. A female must bring the males to another female's room, and vice versa for the males.

Hiashi had raised his hand earlier to halt her from restating anything further; he was in thought of his current course of actions concerning the issue.

"Hanabi, what was the cause of screaming?"

"Nee-chan was doing something perverted in her room; she was wrapping her legs about herself with so little clothing on."

"Hanabi didn't knock on my door before entering, she revealed me in such a state to Shino-kun and Kiba-kun," Hinata countered still feeling remnants of anger and embarrassment from being revealed to her friends.

Hiashi rose from his seat making the two females silence, knowing full well their bickering was only going to make the fire already igniting inside their father burn with greater intensity.

He took a deep breath knowing he had to act as both a father and clan head at the same time in this situation, knowing he would need to punish as such at the moment.

"Hinata, we will discuss this matter further once you return from the mission you were assigned. Go and rest so this will not impede your performance."

"Thank you, Father," She whispered bowing deeply and taking her leave while she still had the chance to avoid any possible belittling from her sole living parent.

Hanabi hid a frown behind her normal serious face, knowing that he normally punished both of them separately as to not appear to be showing any preference to either child.

"Hanabi, your punishment will be implemented after your appointment with Taro, until then I don't wish to discuss this matter, especially at such an hour."

The young girl shrugged feeling mistreated; normally she would accept her father's decision, though the current situation merited her arguments against it.

"Father, why am I being punished for the perverse nature of my sister's actions," She asked in a neutral tone to not truly emphasize the defiance she was restraining.

"Don't question my decision, Hanabi," He thundered, though he would admit it was actually a matter in which he was being bias about. He didn't wish to discuss the matter further due to the headache starting to generate in his forehead. Yet, it was best to explain why he was being soft on his other daughter.

"Hinata was merely performing an action she had decided to do in the privacy of her room. You infringed on that by entering her room without knocking, a necessity especially when you are escorting two males. Also, the way in which she was doing such activity," He paused for a moment, his vision swaying right and left as if remembering a certain special image.

Hanabi felt her eyes widen a bit seeing that her father had an almost none existence blush on the edges of his cheeks.

"Your Mother used to do that," He coughed clearing his throat.

Hanabi didn't attempt to show any emotion for fear of further mistreatment, she simply bowed her head deeply before walking to the door to leave the clan head to his thoughts. Fortunately her mind was a safe haven in which she could spout the words that were forbidden to exit her lips.

'My sister and father are both nothing but perverts, the very fact they protect each other because of it is an insult to the nobility of our bloodline,' she sneered inwardly, it didn't seem to help matters that the appointment she had was going to be the following day with Taro. She lightly stamped her feet on the path toward her room, where she decided it best to rest in hopes to extinguish the flame of hatred and disgust that now burned for her feeble sister, and bias parent.

Hinata had returned back to her room, finally finding the security to continue breathing. It always felt like she was being chocked while under his gaze. She wondered at times if her father always had that ability to crush others with just his stare or if it was something parents naturally learned with their children.

'What's that,' she thought seeing a note next to a brown packet with some unknown contents.

She looked at the small bit of writing and began to read.

"Hinata, we heard from Ino that you were going on a special mission tomorrow, so we decided to drop by and give you a few things to make your travel easier. We know you get dehydrated quickly, so here are some vitamins to add to your water to keep yourself hydrated. Shino decided to mix in some nutritional powder with it so it may not taste well, so sorry in advance.

Keep your guard up and return safely,

Kiba and Shino."

*Current time*

She was well prepared for the mission; her kunai and shuriken were already packed and sharpened. She had a few changes of clothes, her sleeping bag, her canteen, and also plenty of calorie bars. That and she had decided it was time she not be a burden on her teammates, and in this case her crush who was going to be the sole person she relied upon and vice versa during their assignment.

'Alright everything seems packed,' she thought as she made sure to lift her bag onto her shoulders and move about to make sure it wasn't going to be too cumbersome to her.

She rubbed her fingers together worrying she may be forgetting something, yet she pushed the feeling away, deciding to go and wait at the village gate for her hyperactive companion.

* * *

Naruto had slept like the dead, though many of his neighbors would've disagreed with the amount of snoring he had done. It was unnatural for him to snore, but when he put in an excessive amount of training the day prior he was loud enough to wake the dead.

*BEEP BEEP*

Naruto opened up one eye noting the seven, and a three! He had overslept again. Yet he was sure he set that alarm for seven o'clock. Still he found his current circumstances similar to the last morning mission he had undertaken. He leaped out of bed to his closet, to obtain one of his orange and black jumpsuits. Thankfully, the fact that he possessed plenty of spares in case of damages kept him from reusing the previous days. He slipped into his pants and shirt, allowing himself to be partially clad since he was still in his own home. He found his green pack that he used for his long distance missions. Miraculously, he had packed it the night before and left it by the door to prevent any possibility of forgetting it. He stretched his stiff joints as he contemplated the remaining tasks that needed to be finished.

'Not enough time to grab a bowl of ramen,' he sighed as he completed his look with a hitai-ate and forewent the jacket since it was a bit hot.

He exited his home and made certain to lock the door. Even if he hadn't been robbed before, he liked to be cautious. Though it was more as a social norm then actual protection since a locked door was only a momentary diversion, even to a genin. He took off in a sprint, praying that Hinata hadn't been waiting too long for him to show up. The absolute last thing he wanted was to become habitually late like Kakashi-sensei. But taking his habit of being tardy was probably a lesser of two evils, when his other sensei was usually late due to peeping at women. It took a few minutes before he spotted the dark haired female. She was leaning against one of the walls to the village's main gate appearing a bit concerned with the current time.

"Hinata," he shouted slowing himself down to a jog as he approached.

"Naruto-kun…Good Morning," she offered with a small bow and blush at the sight of him without his jacket on.

"Ready to leave," he asked. Even though he abruptly realized he hadn't looked and plotted out a route for them to travel.

"Hai," She yelped and produced a map of fire country. Upon which there was a red line representing the most direct and safest direction of travel.

Hinata loved Naruto for all his faults and short comings. But after they had gone in search of a man with a bird shaped mark on his neck, she decided to simply advise the best route and hope he follow it.

"Glad one of us is prepared," Naruto smirked as they turned to leave. Completely missing the fact Hinata hadn't raised her head again to look at him since the white shirt did adhere to his skin.

"Naruto, Hinata," came the resounding voice of one female the blonde would recognize anywhere.

'Sakura-chan?' he thought as said female came running up to them having a tan colored backpack on and a happy expression to see them.

"Glad you both decided to leave late…are we ready to go?" she partly gasped since the pack felt a bit weighed down for being medical supplies.

Hinata felt her heart rip out of her chest, before being stomped flat on the floor until it was paper thin. She was coming with them? How? Tsunade-sama had given the mission to them so why? She tried to form possibilities, but the disappointment of losing a precious opportunity obscured her thoughts.

"Tsunade-baachan wanted you to come with us?" Naruto asked surprised with the sudden change

Sakura laughed a bit nervously since it had been kind of a random incident that had occurred.

"A document came in early today for the Hokage; it was a message requesting medical supplies for a neighboring village a full day's travel from the Fire Daimyo's Palace. Tsunade-sensei gave me this mission, but it's safer traveling in a group" She finished and with a single sentence was able to crush down the dreams of the pale eyed girl.

Naruto brighten up knowing that another one of his friends would be tagging along. Plus it did put him at ease, knowing he would be alone with a quiet Hinata would've made the trip a long uncomfortable silence.

Hinata Hyuuga had struck an all time low point, she felt like a rose which had just been ripped out by the roots. She knew she didn't have the courage to attempt making the situation into a romantic getaway. However, she had at least hoped to take steps in proving how she felt toward her beloved. Now with the object of his affection in close proximity, Naruto wouldn't pay any attention to her.

"Naruto-kun" she sighed under her breath, knowing it was to be another mission in which she would just remain silent and do her task.

"Alright then, lets head out" Naruto said taking the lead as they took their first steps toward the Daimyo's Palace.

* * *

He rolled over in induced bliss, now cocooned in warmth and silence. Black silk sheets and heavy blankets helped to relax the frayed nerves he suffered from. He couldn't recall when he felt so happy. His plan had thus far been successful, and the mission request he sent in was unquestionable. Pleas from numerous communities around Fire Country came to the village every single day, which were frequently for different medical supplies. The majority of them never made it to the Hokage's office, due to one of two reasons. Either the village requesting the medicine couldn't afford to pay the cost of ninja, or Konoha wasn't able to produce the required medication. It was simple enough to find a request scroll from a far off place. The difficult part had been to replicate the handwriting style, and to beg the Hokage to send her personal apprentice as the medical carrier. Payment had come from his personal business account; this was to prevent the suspicions of village record keepers. Konoha along with every other hidden village had inhabitants monitoring income and spending of the entire population. A necessary occupation set up to prevent possible economic depressions in village infrastructure. He buried his face with great fervor into the down feather pillow with a sigh of joy. It truly was an uplifting feeling being in charge of the schedules at the hospital. Under normal circumstances Sakura was the one managing the controlled chaos of sick patients. Taro was one to admit that Sakura was the better medic, she learned from the best medical expert in the world. Although as long as he possessed his doujutsu, he was the best at treatment of bizarre ailments in villagers. But when Sakura was out of the village, the burden fell upon his shoulders to set schedules. Everything had come to fruition, because he had assigned all on call duty to all the other doctors of the village, while he decided to take all the house calls. Thankfully he had accomplished that task the night before, with a little bit of sneaking and peeking with his left eye for quick diagnosis. Then an hour of work filling out all the prescriptions and dropping them off before returning to his home for much needed rest.

'Ah, I haven't heard from Sakura, Tsunade, or even Anko. The world could end today and it would still be the best day of my life,' he thought with a smile on as he marveled the hour in which he woke.

A loud resounding series of knocks began coming from his front door. His eyes rolled in their sockets, noting that things truly always came back around to bite one's self in the ass.

'Damn karma,' he grumbled as he tossed back the covers and rose from his makeshift bed most would call a couch. He didn't like to sleep in his bed, because a king size felt far too large and exposed. This was a problem for him, since they were taught that wide open spaces made you vulnerable. Therefore, the best solution was to sleep in a compact place to facilitate a small imaginary sense of security.

He decided to ignore the house call, in preference of lunch. He made his way to the kitchen starting to work on his meal, fried rice, with fish filet, and a spring salad. He made no attempt to use any of the pots or pans hanging from the hooks that lined the food prep table in the center of his kitchen. He took a moment to fully examine his surrounding due to the time he mostly spent away from them. The kitchen area seemed large for his house; it had a cherry wood floor, counters made from the same with marble coverings on top. There were no drawers as the cooking utensils hanged from hooks. His fridge occupied a single corner of the square room, and was surprising large even though he rarely entertained guests. He opened up the black door of the fridge to find the necessary ingredients to complete his meal. The fried rice was still fresh in its container, and the fish was already cooked needing just to be heated. The microwave made swift work of the problematic situation, fusing the two components into a tolerable meal. A high pitched ping gave notice of it being completed, and made the males stomach start to growl with anticipation. Taro returned to the soft comfort of his couch so he could eat over the coffee table.

'Ah sustenance,' he thought reaching into the container with a pair of chop sticks, a steaming piece of salmon covered in rice came toward his lips.

*Bang**Bang**Bang* *Bang*

A quintet of punches against his door made him shake losing the tasty morsel to gravity, and the cold wood floor. Taro's left eye twitched, he took his chop sticks and shoved them so they were left standing straight up. Most wouldn't know it, but it was a symbol for death and currently he felt someone was about to die.

He dashed to the door and undid the one lock that had survived the psychotic strength of Sakura in the past. He pulled the door open just enough to get his head out, and carefully placed his foot behind it so it couldn't be shoved open. He glared out with the most unfriendly face he had, and came face to face with brown hair and red spiral eyes

"Hmm, you're not a Hyuuga," he asked in an attempt to ease his confusion.

"Are you Taro Masahiro," She asked without any sign of emotion.

"Depends on who you are and what reason you have to be here," he shot back seeming all but indifferent in the female's eyes.

Kurenai wasn't sure how she should go about approaching the male in regards to her student. While she knew she wasn't technically Hinata's legal guardian, and even being her sensei didn't give her the right to medical information; she could only hope it was possible for her to appeal to the man's good nature. She, unfortunately, was unaware of what a waste of time it was going to be. But she hadn't gotten up early on her day off to simply let the issue of her student fall to the way side.

"You're the doctor who oversees the Hyuuga clan's medical needs, correct?"

Taro didn't answer, and gave the female an empty expression of confusion as to what business a non Hyuuga would have in the clan's medical reports.

"I am the acting sensei of Hyuuga Hinata; I wanted to discuss her last examination due to some concerns in regards…."

"No," Taro cut her off and tried to slam the door only to have the female place her hand on the door and hold it open enough for them to see one eye to eye.

"I insist," She said

Taro's efforts doubled and with both hands and one foot managed to slam the door close and thankfully lock one of the security bolts.

"I can wait all day Masahiro," He heard through the door, he figured that winning was out of the cards. The female was a ninja, and the wooden door served at best a pebble size obstacle if she wanted entry into his house.

"Medical records are clan secrets, and even if I wanted to I couldn't give you that information," He shouted just high enough for the sound to dissipate beyond the ear shot of the door.

"I'm concerned about my student Hinata, can't you tell me something non-specific about her condition," She shouted back, though she found that to be a poor choice since Taro's neighbors at their windows with semi disgusted stares. Which made her determination falter, and question if the "doctor" had many females come to his home and shriek at him.

"Let me think…" Taro spouted and decided to walk back to his now cold meal, though he figured nourishment would help him figure out a way to make things non-specific.

"It's an emergency that I find out her medical status," Kurenai said now resting with her back against the door to escape the looks of the neighbors.

He took a clump of fish and rice into his mouth thinking deeply on the situation. He figured it was possible that the Hyuuga Heiress explained her illness to her sensei to avoid mission complications. However, if he said Hinata's name and condition in the same sentence to anyone who wasn't clan head, Hokage, or elder council member could get him tried for treason by forfeiting clan information.

"All I can tell you is if you're looking for someone to blame just look to her family and you'll find your answer," He said with actual compassion behind his words.

Kurenai gasped and felt sick to her stomach, how could that be possible? The Hyuuga clan for several generations had been marrying within, and the main house was strict on making their children marry their cousins. The reason for inter family relations in clans was to keep the bloodline pure enough to secure the frequency of children born with the Byakugan. Clans in Konoha were given a special right to marry within their family at their own discretion, the only rule being that no siblings with the same mother reproduce. First cousins were alright to do so. Although the clan felt great disdain for any breeding outside of marital bonds, since they had a great heritage of prestige to uphold.

"Thank you, Taro," she choked out in an attempt to resist every single impulse in her body to break down the Hyuuga compound walls. She had, thankfully, learned over the years of her ninja career not to allow her emotions to dictate her actions. She couldn't just barge in without having some form of proof, since solid information was the only thing that mattered beyond loyalty to any ninja.

'There must be something I can do to get information out of someone,' she thought, knowing that Taro was a dead end since he seemed like the type who would endure torture before placing himself in harm's way.

She rubbed her hands together at the situation. With Hinata out on a mission there was little she could do to protect her.

'Wait, that's the answer,' she thought with a malicious grin imprinted on her face.

She could explain to Tsunade-sama that Hinata shouldn't be allowed on active duty due to her medical condition. The village bylaws prevented any Kunoichi with child from going on missions, due to possibilities ranging from death of the infant, to capture being used to breed in another village.

'I'll wait until you return, Hinata,' she nodded trapped by the situation, and decided to clear her thoughts at the Yamanaka flower shop. Gardening always seemed to have a calming effect.

Taro took his seat once he heard the distraught thank you from the other side of the door. He decided to leave the lock on the door secure and return to his previous task, since he still had to drop by his place of business to check in on his "employees." He hadn't given away too much on the girl's condition; he had suffered for it once before when he was young and naïve.

'I wonder if I should've specified on that comment,' he deliberated and felt like karma was working its dastardly plans to continually keep him repressed.

He finished his meal, and exchanged his black top for a lighter blue. It was time to retreat to a place where fate and powerful hands in Konoha wouldn't search to apprehend him.

* * *

*Later that Evening*

They had been walking for nearly ten hours and it was still the light part of journey to the border of Fire country. The route they were taking was to conserve time, due to the location of Konoha to the Fire Daimyo's Palace. The Palace was located on the southern part of Fire Country. A normal traveler would need to move along the slithering mountain path near the border separating Fire and Wind Country. However, due to the time sensitive materials being delivered they agreed it best to take the most direct path. Therefore, they were going to hit the border soon. Travel through the desert of wind country, transverse a section a mountain range, and eventually reconnect with the path guiding them to the Daimyo. Naruto wasn't the one leading, though he had hoped to be the "Leader" for the mission. However, because of his inadequate sense of direction the girls decided to take the lead. They had decided earlier to travel in the order of Hinata, Sakura, and then Naruto. Hinata would scout ahead with her blood limit, while Sakura was kept in the center to better protect the medical supplies. With Naruto in the rear to provide shadow clone support should the need arise.

"I can see it finally," Hinata spoke back to her friends, being content in seeing the edge of the desert. She felt wonderful, though she worried now that the frequency of needed food ingestion had increased due to the added physical exertion. She had managed to regulate her appetite easily, premeasured bites from the calorie bars when she broke line of sight with her companions.

"Good we've reached the border so we can make camp," Sakura sighed and dropped her pack to ground. It had been murder on her back and butt since the medical supply bag felt heavier then it should've been.

Hinata and Naruto decided to join in Sakura's actions, and stripped off their excess baggage to work out the knots which had accumulated in their muscles and joints. Everyone was contented by the moment of relief even if only for a few minutes. It had been an extensive hot trip. Each of they had suffered along the way, due to lack of water caused by the drought which left few water sources to resupply. There wasn't a single drop of water left in anyone's canteen, and they were all grateful to hear the sound of a flowing stream.

"I'll take care of setting up the Tent," Sakura cut into the silence, knowing the sooner they all went to bed the quicker the pain would start to fade.

"I'll start the fire," Naruto said forming his favorite seal and sending out four shadow clones to gather wood.

"I'll gather water," Hinata whispered as she collected the water containers from her teammates and took off at a jogging pace.

Each of their activities were carried out in solitude, they all felt it safe enough to do so since they were still in Fire Country. With little time the fire was roaring, the tent had been set-up, and their water supply was resting in one of the tent corners.

Naruto looked at the situation back at camp with peace of mind, he was happy to see that Hinata had cooked their dinner. It wasn't anything against Sakura…well maybe it was given the fact that she put nutritional value over taste. He took a moment to think about the meal, and he wasn't sure now how it was going to turn out. While Hinata did a wonderful job making rice balls, and bento boxes. But he hadn't had the pleasure of feasting on her complete meals while on a mission. Though from the smell, he could guess that it was going to be a wonderful meal. He took a moment to let the fragrance of the wonderful food catch a hold on his senses and seemed almost mesmerized, which wasn't a grand idea with his hand over the fire.

"Gah," He yelped as he retracted his limb and shook the residual heat away.

Hinata and Sakura both gave him an awkward stare, and he in turn flashed his usual goofy grin in his best to play it off as a simple accident.

"Dinner is ready," Hinata announced as each of them produced a bowl to eat from.

Sakura ate her meal in silence, her thoughts abruptly turning to question how nutritious the meal was…and if it was going to show on her body.

Naruto crammed down the food with great enthusiasm, appreciative in the fact that the meal was tasty. It wasn't as good as eating ramen back home. Yet it easily took second place when compared to everything else he had eaten.

They all consumed their share, while Naruto volunteered to lick the pot clean to save their water supply. Hinata wasn't turned off by his actions, but Sakura seemed to turn green due to using a dish again that would have dried Naruto saliva coated on it. With the moon now lighting the world, they all retreated back to the tent for some much needed rest.

Sakura and Hinata had laid out their sleeping bags, along with pads they needed to keep them comfortably off the ground. Naruto began unrolling his on the floor beside Hinata, suddenly feeling Sakura's hands push him outside almost.

"You won't be sleeping next to either of us for the night Naruto,"

"Huh," He groaned and wondered why it would be such a big deal. It wasn't like they were sleeping in the same bag.

"It won't be that hard for you to be on the other side of the tent," She retorted.

Naruto looked glum at being shunned from the others; he looked toward Hinata with a plea for any support in the argument. Though he was sure that anyone was scared to try and go against the super powered medic nin, even if they weren't her enemy.

Hinata sighed and secretly wished that Sakura hadn't made Naruto move away from her. She wanted so badly to sleep next to him; she longed so much to test her capacity against fainting. But right now it would make her far too embarrassed, especially if she attempted to improve their relationship with an "obstacle" sleeping in the same living space.

Naruto decided it was best to relent and just get some sleep. None of them knew what would face them tomorrow as they crossed the desert.


	6. Dehydration

Author's note: Attention all my readers as I promised here is a new chapter of my story at greater speed than before. I was asked in a previous review if I planned to bring more adult situations (lemon and lime) scenes into this story. To be blunt I made this story a mature so I can give it my full creative spirit without hindrance. That being said if I am going to put sexual or graphic depictions into the present chapter I will place a warning at the beginning. Thank you for reading and enjoy.

The sounds outside had woken him from slumber. The high pitched chirps of the birds at the border of Wind country cut through the silent countryside like a kunai through flesh. With a deep sigh he turned his head to find both of his teammates peacefully asleep. He closed his eyes in a futile attempt to return to his dreams, but the pressure from his bladder demanded otherwise.

"Got to go," he whined as he unzipped his bag and ventured into the abnormally cold weather.

The cool morning wind spurred every hair on his body to stand on end and made the vapor of his breath visible. There seemed to have been some bizarre alteration to their environment.

'How can it be cold near the border of a desert,' He pondered as he took notice of the thin sheet of frost on landscape.

He shook the cold from his bones and ventured beyond view to complete his morning habit. It wasn't wise going out of view of one's teammates for any given amount of time. He knew that for a fact, since that mistake made him land inside a snake's belly at the Chunin exam. However, it felt safer to take that risk given on one mission he had accidentally been too close by and Sakura happened to find him while in search of water. Needless to say the memory just reminded him of pain.

"Kami its freezing," He whispered due to the exposure of his lower extremity.

'That's better,' he murmured as he finished his morning routine.

He returned to camp and to his relief no one else had woken, which meant if he was lucky he could catch a few more hours of sleep. He reached for the tent flap, but halted when he narrowly collided face to face with Hinata. Hinata's eyes widened as she tried to yelp from embarrassment due to the food bar still partially in the wrapper between her teeth. However, it sounded more like a controlled gurgle due to the obstruction.

"Uh, morning," Naruto whispered out confused to why the females face was slowly darkening in shades of red.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun," she stuttered out with a bow. The position permitted her to remove the food item, but it didn't help the hunger cramp she felt in her gut.

"Guess there isn't any hope to get back to sleep huh," he realized if Hinata was awake then Sakura would've been as well.

Hinata raised a finger to her lips that hinted for him to be quiet. Naruto listened carefully and heard slow deep breaths that indicated Sakura was still at rest. It was unusual for him to be awake before Sakura-chan. Although she appeared to have trouble in dry dusty climates that is what he figured always made her seem extra cranky and tired. He had wanted to ask her if she was allergic or something, but he always figured it was best to accept his squad mate for her good points in hopes to avoid the bad.

Naruto shook his head around to wake his brain up from the morning daze.

"Why are you up Hinata," he inquired, since to his eternal dread it was Sakura who was in charge of breakfast.

Hinata scanned her brain for the quickest and most believable response. She didn't have the courage to explain she needed to eat so her stomach didn't wake everyone.

"Um...I wanted to cook so Sakura-san would have less to worry about when we separate," she said and maneuvered around the blonde to get some relief as she hadn't eaten enough yet to prevent fainting.

Hinata Hyuuga felt her blush intensify when she realized they were going to be alone before they arrived at the Daimyo's palace. Her thoughts began to wander too far for her own good as she imagined how the sleep arrangement would've been if Sakura hadn't come with them.

'Is there a chance I could sleep beside him? What if he wants to simply stay up and speak with me? Will he actually want to learn more about me? Will I act weird and mess everything up? What would we even talk about,' she wondered in a state of terror and excitement.

"Hinata? Hinata," Naruto asked when her eyes started to twirl in their sockets and steam lightly sprayed from her tomato shaded face.

Naruto squinted his face in confusion when she hadn't come out of her daze. He decided to go and wet his face at the nearby river and hopefully Hinata would be aware when he returned.

Hinata gasped when her brain's thought trail ended and her crush had vanished. It was a terrible low to start the day with; another failure to make a positive impression on him. However, as a small reward she noticed she hadn't fainted and that gave her hope that she could talk with him alone and be okay.

'I better start cooking,' she thought and continued to devour her calorie bar.

* * *

Sakura was in a perfect paradise. No that description was an understatement of the heaven she found herself engulfed in. Her tired feet were gifted with a tender massage and a warm bath, which was all done by a rather attractive black haired male. Her mind diverted elsewhere on her body as another pair of muscular hands worked each and every inch of muscle on her back. She purred lightly and felt like her very being was soon to melt into a puddle if the activities progressed.

"What more do you wish, Mistress Sakura," a third voiced asked as he offered a tray of freshly peeled fruit.

"Nothing," she sighed and savored the position of power.

She opened her mouth in a wordless plea for a piece of peeled fruit to be fed to her.

"It's delicious," rang throughout the crevices of her mind.

The illusion brought on from her sleep dissipated into nothing. The food, luxury, and men vanished from her grasp.

She grunted as she opened her eyes to the light of day. More wonderful dreams destroyed before she got to the best part.

'Dammit,' thundered her inner persona.

It wasn't a huge inconvenience being woken up from getting the rest she needed. As a medic Nin you learned quickly how to function on miniscule amounts of sleep; it was required to adequately do ones job. But, there was another physical requirement she possessed that needed to be relieved.

It had only been about eight months since she last been physically satisfied. Although, it wasn't in the way most figured. Sakura wasn't someone to sleep around, because of morals and the lack of suitable male ninja in Konoha.

She in the past asked Kakashi to merely hypnotize her with his Sharingan, since it could create rather realistic scenarios. It had definitely been awkward to ask her sensei to help her sate her lust. Although, the man himself read porn whenever he got the chance so he probably figured everyone had different needs and ways to resolve them.

"I'm glad you enjoy it," she heard a softer voice though it was still an annoyance to her sharpened senses.

Sakura left the protective warmth of her sleeping bag to retrieve her allergy meds. She knew it was necessary to alleviate her antipathy before everyone ventured out into the dust trap. Her allergic reaction wasn't anything drastic; it was just a made it difficult to breathe due to excessive dryness in her throat.

She found her pills inside her equipment pouch and was glad to see her canteen of water was left in the tent corner.

'Wonderful morning routine,' she sighed with sarcasm as she self medicated. A few moments later she joined her companions outside for breakfast. The flavor of the soup was wonderful enough to make her forget the pot had been cleaned by Naruto's mouth.

"What's the plan of travel for today," Naruto asked suddenly interested in was ahead of them. That and he wanted to know if he should exchange his orange and black jumpsuit for; orange shorts and a black and orange vest.

"We're going to head through the desert for about four hours. Once we reach Yamata Lake we'll separate and it's only a day's walk to the Daimyo's palace and the village of Tengu," Sakura confirmed as she pointed at the red line Hinata had drawn on her map the previous day.

"When will you be separate from us Sakura-san," Hinata asked a bit impatiently, since she had from the day before prayed to get some alone time with Naruto-kun.

"Once we resupply our water at the lake," Sakura responded with a grunt as she put the pack of medicine on.

"Where will we meet you once you deliver the medicine," Naruto wondered if the plan was to regroup after or to remain separated for the return trip.

He personally didn't worry about Sakura being alone, since she was a superior medic Nin and had Tsunade's insane strength. What he was worried about was the Daimyo; he had only met with a few noble individuals while he traveled with Jiraiya. He wasn't even sure if he was allowed to speak or only if spoken to.

"I'll join you both at the Daimyo's palace once I've administered medical treatment to the villagers," she responded as they began their journey again.

"Sounds like a plan," Naruto smiled as they headed out into the dry heat of the desert valley.

'I'll be alone with you soon Naruto-kun,' Hinata smiled as she hurried to the front of the line.

* * *

Business had taken a turn for the better. There may have been a small depression in the Konoha economy, but people refused to cut back on everything. Taro forgot the pain in his neck muscles as a small green haired female stood on his back and expertly popped his bones back into place.

"Anzu, whatever I pay you it's not enough," he moaned at the pleasure his physical therapist brought him.

She giggled slightly as she exerted more pressure along the upper vertebra of his spine with her foot.

"Taro, I have the figures of the last month's profits," echoed a softer female voice from the shadows.

A middle aged woman with long red hair wrapped up in a bun walked into the light. She wore a formal black kimono with a scarlet obi about her waist. She had a small black booklet in her arms with gold letters along its cover, which read "Rising Sun Cathouse."

"Anzu, don't stop. What is our profit margin so far," he asked to prevent his relaxation from being cut short.

"Twenty-three percent over last month, though several men have started to 'grab' attention recently. This includes that white haired pervert Jiraiya," she snarled, since Jiraiya on his last visit had pinched her rear so many times she had developed a bruise.

"You're all former Kunoichi. I would figure you were able to defend yourselves," he shot back well assured.

It was a secret to many of the village inhabitants, as well as the regular foreign visitors they got on a usual basis, but more than ninety percent of the females that were employed at his business were former Kunoichi.

Every village had the dreadful problem of ninja returning from missions injured. Although, the worse was to have them return with a career ending wound. This was a punishment worse than death for most. The change from deadly missions to a day of repetitive activity with customers was far more then difficult.

The other dilemma was that no village offered assistance to their injured Shinobi. This meant once you were disabled there were two choices: get another job that you could physically do or have someone else take care of you.

"I figured if word traveled around about our employee's harmful natures, the need for services would dramatically fall," she spoke and double checked the numbers for next month's income.

"Alright issue extra charges against offenders," he cut off when Anzu stepped firmly on his abdomen to show she wasn't satisfied with his course of action.

"Hire a few more bouncers, and give them a few free 'pleasures' as a way to avoid payment to them," he sighed when the painful pressure reverted to euphoric bliss.

"That's right, I forgot you were trained to kill by hitting nerve points," he grunted out through the pain.

"Hai," Anzu replied as she licked her lips at the sight of the pain she inflicted

"I'll speak with some when they come in and act like you aren't here," Mist laughed as she took her leave from the private room.

* * *

Naruto raised the canteen to his mouth again in a futile attempt to salvage any residual drops of water from the crevices around the cap. The heat from the sun was one of the harsh things of the current environment while the desiccated breeze that sandblasted their skin was the second. He had done the best he could to cool himself off and stripped down to his black and orange vest and his orange and white shorts.

Sakura hadn't needed to change her wardrobe much, since her outfit was actually suited for hot environments. Hinata was the only one who hadn't removed any clothes. The Hyuuga worried what reaction she would get if she displayed her body for Naruto. That and she already felt flushed due to the combination of the heat and the sight of the blonde's toned legs.

"I'm out," Naruto shouted as he closed one eye and starred into the empty container.

"I have about half left," Sakura groaned as she handed it back to Naruto.

"Mine is nearly empty as well," Hinata kept her byakugan active to see if they were anywhere near the edge of the arid region. That and it gave her the ability to watch her crush without him being aware.

"It's so hot," Naruto shouted due to his low tolerance to dry climates.

"Complaints won't make it any better," Sakura shouted worse off than the other two to, due to heavy pack full of medical supplies.

"_Dammit, I think I'm melting_," inner Sakura groaned as the heat started to bake her from the inside out.

"I can see something, there are a few trees and I think water," Hinata focused her eyes a bit further to confirm it wasn't a mirage. She smirked with relief that they had found an unmarked oasis in their path.

Sakura halted and pulled out a map and compass. She hoped the constant spray of sand and the tedious landscape of sand dunes hadn't thrown them off course.

"_This doesn't seem right. This place was supposed to be nearly three miles east of here,_" she thought and attempted to calculate out their exact location by the duration of their travel and direction.

"Can't we stop and just enjoy a place to cool off," Naruto pleaded with them to help save his sanity, which was going to break if he didn't get some water, or at the very least some shade.

Sakura and Hinata both nodded in agreement to a small stop.

They increased their pace from a leisure walk to a full dash to the safe haven. It took several minutes for them to arrive and once they did the majestic atmosphere of the spot blossomed. There were palm trees that screened them from the sun and a ten foot wide spring.

"I'm wondering how a new oasis appeared since the last time this area was mapped," Sakura asked, but wouldn't overlook a respite as she soaked a bit of cloth and wrapped her forehead.

"It wouldn't be out of the question for a ninja village to create an oasis for their ninja or traveling merchants," Hinata offered her thoughts.

"Naruto-kun," she gulped when she noticed Naruto had merely shoved his head beneath the water's surface to drink to his heart's content.

"I suppose it is possible. Either way we should gather what we need and continue," Sakura ordered as she filled her canteen.

"AH," Naruto exclaimed as he surfaced for air.

The trio all refilled themselves with water and Naruto went a step further and soaked his shirt and put it back on. They all enjoyed themselves and relished the chilled fluid.

Everything came to a stop when Hinata was the first to notice that there was no longer any wind. In fact, the entire region seemed to have fallen onto deaf ears. There was nothing, not even a buzzard's caw. The landscape had gone eerily quiet and that made them all go on edge.

"Something's out there," Naruto whispered.

The earth itself started to vibrate. It felt like a massive earthquake as the tremors knocked all of them off balance.

"Byakugan," the Hyuuga female spoke as she tried her best to spot whatever had caused the havoc underground. The world faded to black and white, yet there wasn't a single thing that she saw that could have caused the seismic event.

A shower of sand poured down upon all of them as a shock wave of sound deafened the region.

A colossal worm tore up from the desert sand and had several seconds of hang time before it crashed back to the ground. The quake tossed them all into the air and left them to flop into the sand in awkward positions. Sakura and Hinata had been lucky enough to land on their bottoms. Naruto had been unfortunate enough to land on his face and the residual moisture from his face dunk left him caked in sandy mud.

"Yuck," Naruto yelled as he crawled back toward the water and dunked his head so he could see again.

Sakura grabbed a hold of his leg and yanked him behind the cover of a small palm tree. Each of them decided to get fully hidden before any attempt to do recon on the situation.

"Where the hell did that thing come from," Sakura whispered to Hinata

"I'm not sure, I didn't believe that any living creature that wasn't summoned could grow to such a size," she responded while she examined the thing from head to tail or what she believed was the head and tail.

It wasn't the usual type of worm, since it had almost a plate like skin that covered its entirety. One end appeared to have some retractable plates and almost limitless rows of teeth underneath. She peered along its body to locate anything suspicious, but she couldn't look into it. It seemed almost impossible for her not to be able to, yet she knew her clan's bloodline had limits. The Byakugan couldn't see through things that were saturated with chakra, or if it were incredibly dense.

"Do you think it's dangerous," Naruto asked, noticed the thing slithered about without purpose, as if just out for a stroll.

A loud boom followed as an eruption of water gushed from the hole the invertebrate had created.

"It must be the reason all of these oases have shown up. It must have burrowed down into an underground water reservoir and made pools when it surfaced," Sakura postulated.

"Something's coming out of its mouth," the Hyuuga warned just as a series of different voices carried over the silent sandy area.

"Stupid, damn thing missed the fucking spot again!"

"I can't believe we have to travel in that damn carcass eater. It smells like death, vomit, and ass."

"You'd figure that a Chunin would be able to get his damn monsters to listen to him."

The last man's comment was cut short by a palm strike that crippled his throat and narrowly crushed his air pipe. The sounds returned to silence as a group of thirty individuals exited the mouth of the sand worm and began to approach the trio of Leaf ninja.

"All of you may keep your damn comments to yourself or be buried amongst the other mutineers and renegades that crossed me," a man with red hair shouted as he brought his hands together and made the giant animal vanish in a cloud of smoke.

He was the best dressed of the group. He wore a pair of white pants stained brown from the desert breeze. The rest of his outfit was a sleeveless tan shirt, a silver bracelet on each wrist, and a red scarf covering his mouth and nose with.

Hinata examined the group and made a quick analysis of the problem at hand. There were twenty-eight men and two women. Twenty five of them were common thugs that didn't even have developed chakra systems. The other five were ninja, but she couldn't make any designation on their rank based on their chakra systems.

"Five of them are ninja," she stated prepared for the worse as the mob approached.

"Why would they have just normal bandits along with them? Wouldn't it make more sense to have trained Shinobi in a desert gang," Naruto whispered confused as to what would be the best action.

"They're just helping hands, but that doesn't matter we weren't assigned to confront any hooligans and we could probably escape if we just made a dash for the lake," Sakura instructed and pulled out a set of flash bombs and another odd looking ball wrapped in pink and purple stripped ribbons.

The mob was merely a thirty feet away before a sudden explosion and flash of light caught most of them off guard. The five ninja covered their eyes and took off in three different directions. Their eyesight only just began to return when another barrage of bombs found its way to a pair of them. A cloud of black enveloped them, which left a pair of them in a coma like state.

They made a break from their cover with Sakura upfront and Hinata and Naruto behind her. The plan appeared to have been executed flawlessly. At least it had been until the ground shuddered once more and a thirty by hundred foot wall proved a reasonable obstacle before them.

"Blossom thrust," Sakura shouted as she struck the roadblock with all her strength. The rock exploded outward in a ten foot circular hole for them to escape through before the entire object came crashing down.

"SHA," Sakura yelled as she turned to no longer see Hinata and Naruto behind her.

The rock wall had formed a void between the squad and it wasn't any better as the two last Nin engaged them. The genin level Nin had fully exhausted his chakra to form such a massive barrier in an instant.

"Shadow Clone Technique," Naruto made his favorite seal and seven clones came to help him as the red haired leader came right at him.

"Ami," the man whispered and made a direct assault against the blonde. His combat skills were evidently far superior as instantly evidenced when he blocked and countered all of Naruto's clones and sent them back to clouds of smoke. Naruto grunted and made more clones and continued his counter to the man's fighting style.

"Eat this," Naruto laughed as all his clones extracted kunai and shuriken for their leg holsters and rained down metal death upon the red head.

The steel weapons all connected to their intended target, but there stood the red head without a single injury on him. His skin showed a series of cracks and chips that slowly sealed back together.

"Why the hell does Konoha want to eliminate us," The red head asked as he began to form seals in slow progression.

"Konoha doesn't care about a bunch of missing nin in the dessert we don't even know who the hell you are," said one of the clones, since Naruto didn't want to give away his location.

"My name is Kelgan though it doesn't matter if you know it or not. I've needed to kill something lately anyways," he spoke as his bracelets slipped off his wrists and seemed to hover a few inches away from his hands.

Naruto gathered his clones and soon there were several rasengan spheres being spun in massive numbers.

Hinata was confused about what type of strength the female she was fighting against had. She had waited and expected the blue haired girl to take an offensive just like the red head had, but she hadn't made any attempt to attack short of the kunai and shuriken she tossed at her.

"_She hasn't attacked yet, either she knows about the Hyuuga fighting style or just wants to draw me in,"_ she thought and lowered into her stance with no sense of urgency. That was until she checked on Naruto and saw a massive cloud of smoke accumulated around that red head.

"_Naruto-kun,"_ she thought and her strategy immediately went out the window.

She rushed the girl in desperation to finish her fight fast enough to help Naruto. The female jumped backwards a series of steps before she disappeared in a mini sand storm. Hinata smiled confident in her blood limit as she closed her eyes and was still able to view everything. Against a normal opponent the kunoichi's plan probably would've worked, but she obviously had never fought a Hyuuga before.

"_You can't hide_," she thought as she dashed through the haze and found her target's chest with a palm strike. The female grabbed her chest and buckled to her knees. Her face went from a cringe to a smirk as she exploded into a barrage of kunai and shuriken. The female Shinobi erupted from her real position fifty feet back hidden under the sand.

"Another body to the pile," echoed the girl to Kelgan and took off to help him.

She froze in her tracks when a kunai flew by her face. There stood a pale eyed girl with a series of cuts and tears all over her body. Hinata had luckily saved herself with a sudden pulse of her chakra to reduce the lethality of the projectiles. However, her attempt wasn't powerful enough to stop them all. She even had a kunai stuck in left her arm and she removed it with a quick jerk.

"_I need to stay calm. Naruto-kun needs me to be a reliable teammate. I can't fail him,"_ she thought and took a moment to see if any of her body parts couldn't function properly.

"Gentle step: twin lion fists," she spoke and lowered her stance as blue chakra formed into the shape of lion heads about her hands.

"_I'm strong enough to do this, I promised that I wouldn't be a burden to Naruto-kun_," she thought and took an offensive again.

The blue haired girl once again brought her hands up to form a seal to produce her sandstorm again. That was until a kunai flew from the Hyuuga's hand, aimed right at her heart.

"_Shit that damn technique obscured her hands enough to hide a kunai_," she thought and grabbed the kunai out of the air and used it to attack.

Hinata was on her the next second. The female swung with the kunai, but she didn't expect the pale eyed girl to move so fluidly. She slid underneath the slice and brought both of her hands upward and struck the coils underneath the lungs.

Her mind came to a stop when an enormous pain overwhelmed her entire nervous system and put her into shock. Hinata had made the girl vulnerable for the one second that she needed and incapacitated her in a single blow. The girl couldn't tell what damage was done to her, but Hinata could easily see that her attack had successfully ruptured both chakra coils.

Hinata felt it was gratuitous to harm her opponent further when the female collapsed to her knees in unimaginable pain. She hadn't wanted to use an attack like that, yet she had done so in order to help Naruto-kun.

"Hinata," echoed loud enough for her to return from her thoughts.

An object suddenly caught her off guard as some weird disc had entered into her blind spot. She turned and braced herself, since she didn't have the necessary time to dodge. The next second she found herself tackled to the ground by Naruto the disc had just passed through her hair

*CRACK*

The weapon had missed its designated target, but showed it was deadly when it caved the blue haired girl's forehead inward.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata questioned though was a bit embarrassed still to have him on top of her.

"Are you alright," he asked, his teethed clinched at the situation they had just avoided.

"Hai," she answered with disappointment, since she needed to be saved again. Although, she had to admit she didn't mind the feel of his embrace around her.

"Think you can fight still," he asked, finally back to his own feet.

Hinata nodded her head in affirmation and looked closely to see what it was those discs were. She noticed the metal ring returned to the redhead's hands in an arch. She checked closer with her eyes and saw strands of chakra between the items and his fingers.

Naruto smiled in the renewed confidence now that he had back-up and felt even better when Sakura showed up without the pack. No words needed to be exchanged as they all knew what they each needed to accomplish.

Kelgan found himself on the defensive. He tossed both bracelets outward from him and charged right for the pink haired girl.

He tossed a few punches and with perfected movement of his fingers eliminated numerous shadow clones. He spotted another one from the corner of his eye and navigated his bracelet to take it out. He couldn't restrain his smirk when another clone vanished; since he knew each one he eliminated made the user more exhausted.

Kelgan tugged on his chakra strings and worried when he didn't feel the resistance caused by moving the metal objects. He saw his discs veer off course and erupt sand clouds from the ground. He searched the mob of clones around him and noticed a sudden puff of smoke as one of the blonde clones turned back into that pale eyed female. She had used the smoke from the destroyed clones to disguise herself and then hid among them to take away the only thing that let him fight at a distance.

Sakura capitalized on the distraction and landed a punch directly on Kelgan. He raised his right arm to defend himself and expected the female to retract her fist in pain. He felt like he had tried to stop a boulder with his hand. He heard a sick crunch as the ulna and radius in his arm snapped and protruded from his skin.

The blow made him skip along the sand like a rock on a pond. When he finally came to a stop his arm shook from the immense pain. His arm swung limply as he worked back up to his feet.

"_I won't end here I refuse to let these fucking children end my life_," he thought as his rage drowned out his pain.

Kelgan bit into his left thumb and ran through the necessary hand seals.

"Summoning Technique," he roared and smashed his left hand to the ground. A cluster of colossal worms with armor plated skin erupted out of the sand all of them prepared to battle.

"I hope you don't mind. These worms usually are carrion eaters, but occasionally they do like to make their own instead," he laughed as he lay on the largest one's head to regain his strength.

Naruto bit his left thumb and ran through the familiar hand seals about to summon when it hit him. He couldn't; if he summoned a toad to a climate like this it would be a greater burden then benefit. That and the thought of an angry Gamabunta wasn't a thing that he wanted.

"Any ideas," Naruto asked, completely out of his own for once.

"Watch out," echoed prior to an explosive force that sent one of the large invertebrates into another and made them vanish in a puff of smoke.

Sakura landed next to the others and wondered why the hell it had taken them so long to react.

"Come on hurry," she yelled and tried to get them back on the original plan which was escape.

The squad was far too distracted to take action and didn't notice the large worm form a bulge near its stomach that began to head to its mouth.

"Crimson Blood Oil!"

A stream of black liquefied dead animal fat, blood, and bone poured out of the beast's body.

Naruto only took a moment to notice the tactic, which was to ignite that junk. It was normally a good thing to end up being right, but in this instance he would've preferred it if he hadn't been.

"Corpse Cremation," Kelgan roared as he spat a ball of fire into the black ooze.

"Kaiten," Hinata called over the roar of the flames that headed toward them.

Hinata hadn't needed anytime to think about it, she knew they wouldn't be able to dodge the attack. However, she wasn't about to let her teammates die without some attempt to protect them.

She spun as quickly as she could and got an unexpected side effect of the sand being lifted up with the whirl of chakra. The blaze struck the barrier of chakra and sand. A majority of the attack lost its intensity, since the sand both absorbed the oil and smothered the fire. The onslaught continued for only five seconds before the worm snapped its gullet shut, empty of all its internal contents.

"_Nobody has ever survived that attack_," Kelgan thought with a hardened stare, although he wasn't yet going to let his guard down. This batch of kids had been unpredictable thus far.

He couldn't say for sure if any of them escaped with the cloud of smoke nearly impenetrable. The sand particles took several moments to settle only to reveal a rather dirty trio caked in dirt and grime. The paled eyed girl from what he could see began to dance in a circle while she flailed her arms around.

His teeth had nearly turned to powder with the strain he put on them. That female hadn't only defeated a few of his companions, but now mocked him after she countered his attack.

"_Fucking whore has the audacity to dance after that_," he inwardly stabbed.

These three children had been a splinter in his side. But, with his chakra level low and his gang in disarray it was time to cut his losses.

"We'll meet again you little bastards," he shrieked with plenty of blood lust behind it before he disappeared into the sand as the worm suddenly dipped downward with its jaws into a new burrow.

The trio breathed a heavy sigh of relief, glad to see the monstrous worm gone. It allowed the adrenaline levels in their veins to lower, which was sublime.

Hinata was fully bent over to help catch her breath, which was all thanks to the exertion she undertook to stop that attack. She also had thanked Kami that the sand had helped to protect them. While it did help she hadn't expected it, which was evident in the amount of dirt she had gotten into her mouth.

"Hinata," resounded behind her as a certain blonde ran toward her at full speed and made her go stiff as a board when she looked up to come face to face with cerulean orbs.

She squeaked, startled by his proximity, and wasn't anymore comforted when he seemed to put his arms around her for a hug.

"_I'm not ready for this_," she yelped, but the astonishment was lost when he began to pat out the small patches of fire on her jacket.

"Anybody hurt," Sakura asked as she shook black sandy clods of muck out of her pink locks.

"Hinata is," Naruto answered for her and observed the wound in her left arm.

"It's not that bad," she replied in a soft voice.

Naruto examined the cut and wasn't too happy with what he had seen. He reached into his equipment pouch and pulled out a small wooden container. He took off the lid and inside was a white ointment that the Hyuuga recognized.

It was the same container of ointment that she gave to him after his battle with Kiba at the Chuunin exam.

"_You kept it_," she thought with amazement as to what it must have meant that he kept it after all that time.

"I can't reach it," he said as he noted her jacket was in the way.

"I…I," she began and felt her face redden as he stood by and waited for her to remove the obstruction.

"_I…know I shouldn't but,"_ she wanted to think of a possible way out of the removal of her clothes. But when she looked into his azure eyes and they plead to let him help her she gave in.

"Hai," she whispered as she unzipped her jacket and removed the entire cover from her body.

Naruto felt his eyes expend when he noticed the two sizable items of the Hyuuga female's chest. He was caught off guard by the small tight fitting black shirt she had on and fishnet cover on top of that. He lost himself as he stared, yet he managed to force air down his throat to clear his mind and continued in his original plan.

He moved to her left side and lightly dipped his fingers into the pearl colored cream. He slowly made several passes along the gash in her arm and made sure not to leave a single bit of red uncovered. He continued in his work and circled around her with a keen eye for any other cuts.

"_He's touching me,"_ she thought with rosy cheeks that darkened each time she felt his soft touch. Words couldn't describe how incredible it was. His hands were rough from all the exercise he did, yet she couldn't tell with how gentle he was with her.

"That's about it," he confirmed to himself as he closed up the empty container.

"_That was different,"_ he thought, glad that the experience was over. He didn't want to admit it, but he couldn't keep his stare off of the chakra reserves on Hinata's chest. He had offered to fix up her wounds, since she was a precious person to him. However, when he actually started to apply the ointment it felt strange in a good way to him.

Hinata held back a grumble when he said he was finished. She for one would've enjoyed him continuing to treat her.

Sakura wiped some of the dirt off her body and didn't seem to have much luck with the grime that had been caked into her hair.

"Alright, let's keep going," she said and they all continued on the path to Yamata Lake.

Hinata tried to wear her jacket, but found that the item had more holes in it then she first thought. She released a deep sigh and wrapped the item around her waist.

"_I don't have any choice_," she reassured herself and felt some relief in the knowledge that her current state couldn't be helped.

Naruto looked around and noticed Hinata was now revealed for him to view. His mind ceased all function when he savored the rare sight. He couldn't help himself as he examined her features. She had slender arms, an hourglass shape to her body, and her skin was a light cream color.

Hinata felt Naruto's eyes wander over her body once more, which made her feel hot all over. The attention made her feel awkward, scared, and a bit flattered that she appeared desirable. She turned and caught his stare toward her breasts, which made him blush and turn his attention elsewhere. It felt so strange to her, because she had never really been sized up in that fashion before.

"_I need to eat, but what would Naruto think of me_," she wondered with dread as the usual stomach pain popped up. She couldn't fight the tide however, and pulled out a calorie bar from her equipment pouch and began to consume it.

Naruto didn't know why he blushed when she noticed his stare, but when she started to eat a sudden conclusion dawned on him.

"_So that is where all Hinata's weight is going. I wonder if Sakura-chan would benefit in the same way if she started on the same diet_," he pondered and couldn't help but imagine larger breasts on his pink haired friend, which made him drool slightly.

Hinata took a second to look back at him and nearly gagged when she noticed the hungry look from the blonde.

"_Did I grab his attention by showing more of my body_," she thought. The idea inspired her on how to further grab his attention. However, she couldn't bring herself to seduce and entice men as other women did. She just had too much modesty and too little self-confidence.

"_I will make sure you notice me, Naruto-kun,"_ she assured herself as they continued.

* * *

They reached the edge of the wasteland shortly and were all overjoyed to see the lake. What they hadn't expected was for there to be a nearby inn with a sizable number of travelers outside of it. The majority of them appeared rather aggravated by something.

"Why are there so many travelers here," Sakura asked, since it didn't bode well for her further travel plans.

Sakura decided to investigate further and went into the business without her companions to figure things out.

Hinata took a second to try and gather herself enough to talk with Naruto. She had planned for so long on what she would talk to him about, yet no matter how many times the opportunity presented itself her brain refused to translate thoughts into words.

She was about to speak before a shout engulfed all the other noises of the area. A demonic looking pink haired female stomped out.

Sakura couldn't believe the bad luck she had. The bridge that normally joined the two sides of the chasm was closed due to repairs. However, that wasn't the worse news. She had figured that all she needed to do was wait until no one was around and sneak across. The only problem with that was that the workers had destroyed the entire bridge and began reconstruction from the other side.

"Looks like I'll just go with you until the bridge is repaired," Sakura laughed out a bit nervous at the integrity of the medical supplies if she needed to wait.

Hinata wanted to shout at the sky to demand to know what she had done to deserve such a fate. She knew if she made a scene it would just make her feel worse than she already did, but couldn't it be anyone besides Sakura? She swallowed the little hope to be alone with Naruto and kept her face pointed down as they took off once more.

"Excuse me, miss," said a soft male voice.

The group stopped and saw a small child make a bee line toward Sakura with a piece of paper in hand.

"Mother wanted…you to know…there is a detour…a few miles up the road," he said between gasps for air.

"A detour," Sakura questioned as she took the parchment and looked at the information.

**Travelers and merchants heading to Tengu and neighbor areas:**

**We apologize for any inconvenience on your craft or trade. Harsh winds of the valley have made travel conditions across the bridge dangerous. All merchants are advised to avoid said area and take alternative 5 day route around mountains.**

Sakura licked her lips and gave the child an expression that stated louder than words she didn't like the time frame. The child appeared unaffected and returned an expression that urged her to read the rest.

**At this time a line system is in place to carry individuals to the other side. We thank you and may Kami guide you along any path you choose.**

Sakura smirked and sighed. She knew she had no choice other than to use the line system and reach the village.

"Well guess this is where we part. We'll meet back here at the inn and start back tomorrow morning," she said as she took off across the lake to cut the distance to the bridge.

Naruto smiled wide and waved his friend a quick bye. It shocked him how quickly she took off, but he knew the sooner she went and administered the medicine the sooner she would return to the inn and rest.

Hinata felt like she could cry with how wonderfully things had altered. She took back all the terrible thoughts she had that Kami was against her. Now was her chance to take a step in the right direction.

***At the Palace Gates***

Hinata had tried the entire walk to get a conversation going with Naruto. However, she was so worried about what to speak to him about that she spent the whole time in thought. This combined with the small glances Naruto took of her when he thought she wasn't aware made her heart race so fast she lost her train of thought.

"Identify yourself," shouted a female soldier dressed in green and blue battle armor with a rather fearsome looking halberd in her right hand.

"Were ninja from the hidden Leaf village with an urgent message for the Fire Daimyo," Hinata shouted her voice suddenly capable to make noise.

Hinata removed the scroll from her weapon pouch and displayed the seal for inspection.

The soldier looked over said item and noted the green seal used for a vital message that required the Daimyo's attention.

"Open the Gate," she screamed and the large wooden doors folded inward and gave access to the two.

The inside was truly fit for a king, well a lord to be accurate. The walkway was flanked with golden pillars that supported the sculpted roof. The floor was covered in fine high thread count red carpet with exotic plants, art sculptures were every so many dozen feet and the pleasant sound of string instruments carried throughout the main hall. The pair felt at ease. The trip so far hadn't been an easy one and the walk to the main audience chamber spanned on for hundreds of feet.

They eventually arrived to a rather plentiful mountain of stairs, which came to an apex with a throne covered in red velvet cloth.

The Lord was a man with rather hard features. He had short black hair, a few wrinkles under his eyes, and looked like he was possibly well into his forties. He was clad in a dark blue formal robe and even had his hat with the kanji symbol for fire in a red circle upon it. He looked down with a sense of superiority and seemed like he didn't wish to use his energy and time to talk with ragged ninja. He turned to an assistant nearby who merely leaned in enough to inform him of the appointment since he did have many things to oversee within his area of influence.

"Shinobi of Konoha what is the significance of the document you have brought for me," he questioned in a low yet powerful voice.

Naruto's facial expression turned sour, since he never liked people who looked down on others whether due to skill, clan, or financial standing. He knew from his travels with the pervert sage that he couldn't just shout to his heart's content around lords. Mainly due to the influence many of them possessed in country and even in ninja villages.

He started to grumble only to have Hinata cut him off and be the first speak.

"A message of urgent importance was asked to be delivered to you, Daimyo-sama," Hinata responded and offered up the document.

The male assistant ran down the steps with ease clearly used to doing so several times a day. He acquired the sealed parchment and returned it with most haste to his master.

The Daimyo eyed the seal, and something seemed to change in his expression. His eyes widened, and an almost joyful smile of anticipation rose from the depths of his soul. He ripped the seal and unraveled it and abruptly rose to his feet with a smile.

"Bring me a bottle of Sake, there is much to celebrate," he proclaimed and handed the document off to his subordinate.

The pair gave perplexed stares as to what news could alter the stone statue that was the Daimyo.

"You have my thanks Shinobi; I am glad that the answer to my proposal was a positive one."

They both felt their blood pressures rise at this. They had been dehydrated, bruised, burned, and exhausted for nothing more than a "yes" to a marriage proposal? Between them Naruto wished to scream his head off and let out all his anger. However, Hinata was thankfully taking the initiative and was the first to reply.

"We are glad to have delivered you good news Daimyo-sama. You have our best wishes and we shall now return to our village," she spoke with a low bow and took their leave until another surprise left them speechless.

"It is obvious to see that this endeavor was quite laborious," he made certain to halt his sentence as both of them became self-conscious as to their current physical garb.

"Please remain here until morning and partake of my hospitality as payment for the magnificent announcement."

They felt like their eyeballs were nearly going to pop out of their heads. They were to stay at the palace?

***At the Bath***

Hinata couldn't believe her eyes as she found herself in an enormous bath. The ground was made of smooth tile and the walls were covered with beautiful paintings of plants and landscapes. The room was filled with steam from the spring water; it figured the Daimyo would have a bath with water pulled from a natural hot spring in the mountainside.

She went and undressed and found the towels she wrapped herself with to be incredibly soft on the skin. Hinata never knew that cotton could be so soft, even the Hyuuga clan couldn't get something so plush.

She entered the chest high water and sat down with sigh as her tired muscles finally felt safe enough to relax fully. She decided to let it all out and dunked her entire head below the water and surfaced back up with a gasping sigh.

"_This is blissful,_ " Hinata thought as she eased further under the fluid until it covered up to her neck.

She closed her eyes and relaxed for a while in the therapeutic hot spring water. She exited the water once her skin started to ache from the continuous heat. She checked her cuts and was glad to see they had already sealed up thanks to the balm Naruto had applied to her.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun," she whispered and sat nearby to get actually clean.

She started to wash with the soaps provided, which smelled of wild flowers and vanilla. She felt a bit guilty when the clear soap bubbles took on a brown hue as the caked on layers of dust from the desert and that worm spray was washed away.

"Best mission ever," she barely whispered as she cherished the momentary silence.

"Cannonball," rang an all too familiar voice as a massive splash sound came later followed by the sound of many other Naruto voices angry with the diver.

Hinata felt a small sweat drop run down her head at the antics of her crush, but still found it pleasant enough to laugh at his playful nature.

***In their rooms***

They couldn't believe how wonderful the Daimyo had been to them. Each of them had been given a room located near each other, but the guest rooms were larger than most of the houses in Konoha.

Each room was decorated with a different color scheme. The walls were covered in exotic paintings and flowers that neither of them had seen before. The beds were extravagant beyond measure and were covered with as many as five silk blankets in an assortment of colors.

Not to mention, the food they were provided had been wonderful. Both had been asked what they wished to consume and each had it made by a personal chef. Naruto had still decided to eat ramen, yet he wasn't going to tell anyone that it still wasn't as good as Ichiraku ramen. Hinata felt embarrassed to order a near three course meal for dinner. However, if the Daimyo had offered his hospitality it would be an insult to him not to partake of it.

She felt completely full and prepared herself for bed; garbed in a different black top and some black cotton shorts. She crawled into the comfortable sheets and was overjoyed to feel that despite the several blankets she felt warm not hot. She found a comfy spot in the center of the oversized mattress.

"I can't sleep," echoed a male voice.

Hinata opened her eyes and wondered how and why she heard Naruto-kun.

"Naruto-kun," she responded in partial wonder and worry she imagined the voice.

"Hinata is that you, can you hear me?"

"Um, hai," she responded with a bit of a yelp to her voice since she was actually getting to talk with him.

"I wonder why that is…did the Daimyo make the walls extra thin so the guards can hear everything?"

Hinata activated her eyes and scanned the wall between their rooms. There appeared to be a recirculation vent in the walls that connected both rooms. It was more than likely meant to re-circulate hot air and keep the entire palace a specific temperature.

"It's part of the heating system so no one outside of these rooms can possibly hear us."

"Heh, well that's good. I can't sleep anyways. I have way too much energy and there isn't anywhere to train, and the bed is so soft I feel like I'm being swallowed."

"I thought this would be more comfortable given we frequently sleep on the ground," Hinata said being able to speak freely since she didn't have to be face to face with the male. However, she had watched him so much in her life she could already see his patent pouty face when he was uncomfortable.

"Yeah but the bed is way too soft for my taste. I couldn't get used to it even when I traveled with Ero-sennin for two years."

"You stayed at palaces while you traveled," Hinata asked with real enthusiasm to learn more about the time they were separated. That and she really didn't want the conversation to move to the subject of "Ero-sennin."

"There weren't any palaces, but there were plenty of lords and political officials that seemed to actually know and respect Ero-sennin," he said with a bit of confusion behind his words.

"Well he is one of the legendary sannin so he's well respected for his strength."

"Yeah, but he never acts like a legendary sannin. Half the time he ran off to avoid training me and the rest of the time he spent in brothels and outside bathhouses," he complained to get his pent up frustration and energy out.

"But he did still train you when he was with you right?"

"Yeah, but he didn't teach me many jutsus. He kept trying to work on taijutsu and sealing."

"What did you learn about sealing," she asked and couldn't help but smile as he talked about his training, the places he saw, and some of the situations Jiraiya had gotten him into.

The pair lost track of time as they discussed the experiences they had in the two years that he was gone. Naruto stopped to actually check the time when he felt a heavy yawn sap him of more of his energy.

"_Whoa, we've been talking for nearly three hours_," he thought and felt the fatigue in his throat after they talked so much.

"We should probably get some rest Naruto-kun," Hinata said as she struggled to keep her eyes open to continue their conversation.

"Alright," he groaned and found a comfy spot on the floor with a few of the blankets and pillows from the bed.

Naruto closed his eyes and felt the urge for sleep nearly take him over. He kept his consciousness long enough to say what had been on the tip of his tongue.

"Hey, Hinata?"

"Hai?"

"You're a great listener…good night."

Hinata felt her entire face blush and had to take some blankets off to prevent boiling.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun…good night," she stuttered a bit and poked her index fingers together for several minutes before she too found sleep.

* * *

***Tengu Village***

Sakura felt both frustrated and tired at the distance she had just traveled to reach the small village. The system that took her across the chasm had been a zip line system that had a hook in and sent you across. The issue she had was the belt system wasn't meant for supporting someone with a heavy bag. She had made it across, but the extra weight had forced all the pressure from the harness between her legs. The other problem was that the sudden stop had caused a small friction burn around her private area that she was far from pleased with.

" When I get back I am taking a week to myself," she grumbled as she finally entered into the village and saw the wave of people clamor around her due to the sight of medical treatment.

It was already late, but she needed to administer the medicine and meet back with the others otherwise she was would be headed back to Konoha without sleep.

The medical situation of the village was easy enough to deal with, because all of the infected had been packed into a single home to avoid further contamination. Sakura quickly administered the medicine among the population with relative ease. The treatment was a simple injection of an antibiotic and steroid for the infected individuals, and a vaccine to the healthy ones. She finished all the treatments within a few hours and went back to her pack only to find it still heavy.

"_What the hell is in this thing_," she wondered and started to scavenge through the pockets.

The inside should have been lighter since she had administered all the medication. She tapped the bag with her fist and felt something hard in the inside layer. She found a spot at the bottom of the main bag that looked like it had a patch sewn into it. She looked inside and found a note taped to a series of metal plates that all fitted nicely together.

**Hope the trip takes you extra long, Haruno.**

That was all that was written on the note along with a picture of a face with its tongue out; that and a single hand, which gave the finger to whoever read it.

Sakura felt her rage manifest into a hurricane inside her. However, she took a deep breath and knew tomorrow would be better for her. This was, because tomorrow she would be one step closer to Konoha and that meant sweet revenge on Taro.


	7. Epistaxis

A/N: Attention my fellow readers I would like to say your welcome for this new chapter and the one after this is already in editing. I would like to say I am aware that the flowers mentioned don't exist and are harmless. I felt a responsiblity to not mention real flowers that can be made into poisions, since I don't know who reads this story and do not wish any harm to befall another due to my irresponsibility. That being said enjoy and review.

* * *

A gust of the frigid night air gave her skin a rush of goose bumps, which made her muscles tighten and restrict her forward progress. Sakura exhaled to calm her nerves as she looked down and noticed the void of black below her.

"_How __in __the __world __could __I __get __anymore __screwed,_" she wondered with anger. She hadn't been informed to the entire situation of the zip line that she had used to cross the obstacle. The machinery had been set up in a hurry and it was one way, which meant that if she wanted to return a five day detour around a cold mountain pass absent cold weather clothes would be required. She continued to crawl along the cord that would've cut into her hands if she hadn't had gloves.

The wire only further complicated things when the cold made it feel like millions of tiny razors on the skin of her thigh. She had thankfully left the heavy pack behind, which made it an easy decision to just transverse the wire to return to the other side, however right now she just wished she had taken more time to decide.

"_When __I __return __to __Konoha __I __am __going __to __relax __for __a __week,_" she thought with joy

"_Screw __that __we __murder __Taro, __then __relax,_"screamed inner Sakura with a shudder at how cold it was.

The thirst for vengeance caused a mild intoxication, but it wasn't enough to make her ignore another chilled breeze. She cursed as she shivered and moved faster, rejuvenated by the rage that had manifested. Sakura cracked a smile when she stopped to catch her breath and noticed solid ground below her. She plummeted to the ground and went to her knees, since her entire being felt drained from the long night. She shook herself to try and warm up and wrapped an extra shirt about herself and started to run for the inn.

*1 hour later*

She felt her lungs burn and plead with her to let them take in more oxygen. That in combination with the lactic acid in her leg muscles was almost enough to incapacitate them. She shrugged off the pain and entered into the business to see no one to attend to new arrivals.

"Excuse…me," Sakura gasped due to the prolonged run to the place.

"Oh, a customer at this hour," echoed from nowhere as a middle aged white haired female rose from behind the desk in a worn set of blue pajamas with a night cap to complete the ensemble.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but there aren't any vacancies at this time," she said in a sweet motherly tone as she thought the pink haired female to be a normal traveler.

Sakura partly scoffed at being treated like she was a child, since she had done her fair share of things that no normal teen girl could or would want to do.

"I was wondering if you rented out a room to two ninja, a loud male with blonde spiky hair and a black haired female with pale eyes."

"I'm afraid no one of that description arrived here today."

Sakura bit her lip at the comment. For one thing she was indeed dead tired and would give anything for a nice comfortable bed. However, she had counted on Naruto and Hinata to have returned and secured a place for her to sleep. Now she could only go and search for her companions. Her head began to drift ever so slightly as the exhaustion in her body rallied against her senses. She dearly hoped Naruto hadn't let his temper get the best of him and ended up in the Daimyo's prison.

"_Let __me __sleep.__Even __a __small __nap __will __do __wonders,_" inner Sakura begged as Sakura made her exit and continued now at a languid pace to the Daimyo's Palace.

* * *

Naruto groaned as he felt his conscious thought processes return to him. Azure eyes peered about the room and took notice of the extravagant location he resided in. He hated the room; since it was larger than his home. The walk to the bathroom with an over swollen bladder was painful beyond imagination.

"_It __was __that __same __dream __again,_" he thought as he strolled into the low light of the bathroom to eliminate the pain inside him.

It had continued to occur ever since he had gone on his two year trip with Jiraiya.

He would be in the forest and after a short walk come to a lake covered in a thick mist that obscured his sight. A figure of a thin female walked out on the water and with a small spin she would make the water cascade around her. It was an enthralling sight, yet he felt each time he saw it there was familiarity to it. He would attempt to call out, but the sound of the nearby falls drowned his voice. His effort would then become more desperate as he'd step out onto the liquid surface. Although the use of his chakra on the water would fail and let him slip beneath and when he surfaced for air she was gone.

Naruto went about his business as best he could, since the dream made a certain function of his body below the waist reoccur. He really hated when he had the dream. It wasn't because he wouldn't get to know who that girl was. It was due to the erection it gave him that made it difficult to get back to sleep.

He was quick to finish in the bathroom. Although now there was a need to find something to take his mind off of certain activities. He usually went for a walk to remedy his body's current state, because the cold air helped and it sometimes turned into a late night jog and any bit of training was beneficial.

He ventured to his room door still in his pajamas and night cap. He had been slightly surprised to see the door wasn't locked, since paranoid lords and the like would seal their guests in their rooms to prevent any extra chance of assassination.

"Hello," he called down the hall only to see that no one was presently there to question why he was out and about.

He took his pack with him, since he couldn't lock the door to his room. It felt good to know no one could come and look through his possessions.

* * *

Sakura closed her eyes and tried in vain to stay awake as she pushed sluggishly against the gates to the Palace.

"Declare your name and intent," echoed a female shout as a number of soldiers surrounded the pink haired Shinobi.

"Sakura Haruno…from Konoha Village…did a blonde guy and a dark-haired female come here," she asked barely balanced on her feet.

The soldiers lowered their weapons when she mentioned the Konoha ninja, since the green haired captain had been the one to open the gate to them.

"Yes, the Daimyo extended his hospitality to them for the good news they brought."

"That's….," Sakura trailed off as sleep had finally won. She would've hit the ground if the green haired captain hadn't dashed instantly to her side.

"Your orders, Nephenee," questioned one of her subordinates.

"There isn't any need to warn the Daimyo of this incident. I will let her sleep in my room of the barracks until morning," she hefted Sakura up over her shoulder with minimal effort.

"Ma'am," he retorted as he continued his duties.

* * *

He had picked a direction and began his travel around the palace. It was vastly larger then he figured as he had gone so far in a single direction for nearly twenty minutes and hadn't made a single turn. The palace was low on security despite the numerous soldiers they observed on their arrival. There wasn't even the slightest trace of a guard and that made him uneasy as to where they were.

He wandered for several more minutes and he noticed he hadn't seen another person for nearly the entire walk. He felt tense by the void. Though it made sense when you came from a ninja village, since there was always someone nearby whether you were aware of them or not.

"Bring it this way, I don't want anyone to notice," echoed through the hallway as grunts of exertion rang loud enough to sound like they came from every direction.

A group of men hauled something with several heavy duty metal chains. All the men were covered in an armor that appeared to glisten a yellow green when they passed by the torches that lit the dim hall. They came to a halt as one of them turned and spotted a statue of a female with long hair which obscured her special areas.

"_Ah __my __type __of __art_," the man thought until his superior's hand brought him back to his senses.

"Stop admiring the Daimyo's art and pull that damn thing to the trophy wing," he ordered and the task continued.

"Sir…when did the Daimyo get this statue," he queried, which gathered the stare of everyone present when they swore the statue yipped and began to sweat.

The leader figured none of them had gotten a good night sleep recently with the whole alteration process every four nights to ensure no one could accurately map the palace. It was a simple trick recently employed by their lord. The movement of furniture, statues, carpets, and drapes did wonders to confuse thieves and ninja. Hell only a few months ago they had added a new room and relocated the Daimyo's royal bed chamber.

"We're all tired and prone to hallucinations now. Since you found it take it with us to the treasure room," he ordered and proceeded with the others down the hallway

The guard smiled with glee as he picked up the light statue, but purposely grabbed it by the breasts due to loneliness.

Naruto couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, which combined with his gasp due to being fondled by the pervert.

***Treasure room***

The walls were covered in fine arts; there were statues of all different types of precious metals and minerals. There were piles of gold, jewels, and even a large rack that held rolls of exotic fabrics that shined in the low light.

The guards placed the two statues against a vacant wall and abruptly made their exit to get some rest in the barracks.

Naruto popped out of his henge with a yawn not even sure how long that jerk had had to fondle him. Naruto hadn't ever really been one to be greedy, but he was tempted a bit by the incredible wealth the Daimyo had at his disposal. While ninja were commonly used to steal things they were taught early on that any theft outside a mission wouldn't be tolerated.

He inspected the other statue that was transferred with him. It looked like a giant manlike golem made entirely of some white material he couldn't be completely sure of. He shrugged off his mesmerized stare and needed to escape out of the large double doors to find the path back to his room. He pushed open one and was a bit disappointed to see a pair of guards sleeping on their feet.

"_Guess __there __is __an __Izumo __and __Kotetsu __everywhere_," he thought with a small laugh.

He closed the door silently and stuck to the shadows as he took the route he could best remember.

Unbeknownst to the blonde a small sand worm had wiggled its way out of the fabric of his pack. The creature made its considerable crawl to the marble golem. The golem statue slowly fractured around its eyes that opened to a set of brown orbs that inspected the room to ensure solitude. He pulled his head back to allow the creature access through the eye holes that sealed back up.

The statue had seemed perfectly solid on the outside, but on the inside sat an exhausted and battered Kelgan.

He sent the tiny insect back to its own realm with a smile chiseled on his face as to how fortunate he was. He hadn't any idea that a lord lived so close to where he constantly stole and smuggled things. Not to mention, all he had to do was use his earth jutsu to make this statue and they practically gave him the key to the castle.

"_This __is __perfect __all __I __need __to __do __now __is __steal __enough __to __live __well __and __all __the __while __frame __those __three __brats __for __it,_" he laughed inwardly as he laid back to rest his only partially mended bones.

Naruto had to come to a stop when he realized he hadn't exactly counted how many rooms he had passed on either his first or return walk. He felt near collapse and needed a respite, though it wasn't anywhere in sight. He leaned against the wall his eyes barely glided over the ground he was so drowsy.

"_Alright __sleep __you __win,__" _he grumbled as he propped himself against the closest wall. He decided to just walk into the nearest room and get some rest. It wasn't likely every room had an occupant. He felt relief when he entered a dark room without any signs of life. He didn't care to take any further precautions and just dropped to the floor next to his bed as he grabbed a pillow and some of the covers from his place on the ground.

* * *

***Morning***

Hinata groaned as she awoke to the bit of light that slithered through the shades of the single window that faced the morning sun. She took a deep breath and felt revitalized by the soft comfort that the regal bed had provided to every sore muscle. She refused to open her eyes and took account of her surroundings by touch as she lay face down.

"_I __must __still __be __dreaming_," she assured herself as she felt like Naruto was asleep right beneath her. She snuggled instinctively against his chest and relished his ramen and forest scent.

"Guess I should probably wake up," she grumbled as she lifted herself to be supported by her knees and arms.

Hinata felt her heart jump into her skull at the site that met her opened eyes. It hadn't been a dream. Naruto was sound asleep and she had been asleep right on top of him. She gulped and started to shiver with a cocktail of fear, embarrassment, joy, and shock mixed within her.

"Na…Na…Naruto…Kun," she trailed off as her face flash heated from the flush of blood. She couldn't catch herself and the lack of food in her belly prevented alleviation of her habit.

* * *

He had dreamed of many things before: his first day as Hokage; Sasuke's return to the village; a date with Sakura-chan; and the most frequent, ramen bowls the size of the village.

His current dream though was an oddity as he walked through a melon field. Naruto didn't get to eat melon that often due to it being insanely pricey, but when he did he enjoyed it as much as possible. This was definitely good that he did, since he rarely found fruits or vegetables that he liked.

"_Wonder __why __I__'__m __in __a __field __picking __out __melons,__"_ he wondered. But, it was his dream and it wouldn't hurt to see where it led.

Naruto wandered about each row of melon plants and soon came upon a well sized pair. He got close and gave them both a pull, but neither wanted to come loose from the vines. He grabbed them tight and yanked with all his might and still the objects refused to move an inch. He gasped for air and took a break to plot his next course of action. He grinned and planted his face against the objects and gave another yank with all his might. Although he tried his best he grunted in frustration when the objects resisted. He gathered himself and pinched his cheek to escape and get something to eat.

Naruto awoke in a hazy mess of thoughts. He sniffed the air and found that the reason he had dreamed of melons was due to the scent of it in the air.

"_Why __couldn__'__t __the __maids __spray __ramen __scent __into __my __room_," he blinked a few times when he noticed that it was hard to breathe and that his pillow was oddly shaped and on top of his face. He struggled against the increased weight and grabbed a part of the object and lifted it from his mouth long enough to draw in a deep gasp of air.

"Why does this feel softer," he asked out loud and realized that as he squeezed this pillow reformed and to his deepest dread moaned.

Naruto's mind blanked and he thankfully kept his mouth stapled shut to not shout. He separated the twin peaks slowly to observe the face of said female he had accidentally molested.

'_Hinata_,' he noted with dread.

"_Crap __she__'__ll __probably __kill __me __for __this!__I __remember __how __much __a __gentle __fist __strike __hurts._"

"Naruto-kun," she said in a soft whisper that made the blonde jerk his head back with closed eyes and anticipated a strike that didn't occur. He thanked Kami with glee when it was clear the female was still asleep. However, his thanks were withdrawn when he realized he still had to escape from the girl's grasp.

He attempted a movement of his hands, but found that his shoulders were pinned by her breasts. He tried to roll her by touching her stomach, although it didn't work with them wrapped together with bed sheets. That and he worried if he rolled too many times she would wake up.

"_Why __the __hell __are __we __wrapped __up_," he screamed internally as he attempted to make heads or tails of the situation.

He couldn't see how it was possible for this to happen. He had come back to the room and fallen to the floor by the bed. The realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. He had probably pulled on the sheets while on the floor and yanked Hinata out of the bed and onto him. They probably tossed and turned through the night, which explained why they were practically inseparable at the moment.

"_Shit, __how __the __hell __can __I __get __her..._," he stopped all thought when he realized what he needed to do for an escape. He bit his lip and felt a nosebleed start to flow as he knew there were only two places to brace his hands. He took a lovely melon in each hand as best he could and pushed slowly to raise her off him.

Each movement felt like he had to maneuver a tripwire maze attached to numerous explosive notes. He tried to stay focused on escape, yet with what he held in his hands he couldn't cease his random thoughts.

"_H__er __breasts __are __huge __compared __to __Sakura-chan.__Why __hasn__'__t __she __woken __up __from __this?__I __never __knew __they __would __be __this __soft.__Okay __just __enough __room __to __move.__Why __does __she __hide __these __with __her __jacket?__I __wonder __what __cup __size __she __is._"

Hinata slept quite soundly and with the added pressure she exhaled a high pitched moan that set the blonde's face ablaze as his groin started to swell instinctively to the sound.

"_Don__'__t __enjoy __this,__Naruto.__You __aren__'__t __like __either __of __your __senseis,_" he mentally berated himself to make the drool leave his face and galvanized his resolve toward escape.

Hinata didn't seem to be aware of the situation at hand. However, the pressure on her chest made her react as the sudden winch of pain and that made Naruto retract his arms and end up with a face full of cleavage.

It had to be some divine vengeance against him. He was going to die when she woke, if blood loss from his nose didn't finish the job. He was certain the shy gentle Hyuuga would turn into a monster like all the other women he had met in his life, given the circumstances. He summoned up every ounce of self control he possessed and planned another escape route.

"_P__lease __don__'__t __wake __up, __Hinata,_" he prayed as he reached around to her side and lightly tickled her skin making her groan and grab in the general vicinity of his hand and roll slightly off him.

"Naruto-kun, don't…tickle me," Hinata whispered in a husky voice.

His struggle for freedom felt like it had spanned for a million years when, in fact, it only had been thirty minutes.

Naruto had managed to work his way out of the sheet cocoon and avoid Kunoichi aggression. He bolted for the door and exited the room with Hinata none the wiser.

"Thank whoever," he groaned.

"Um, excuse me," a soft female voice cut him off

He jumped and gradually rotated to face the origin of the question that was a small red headed girl with a familiar white and purple jacket in her arms.

"I…," Naruto gagged and knew it was all over. He had been caught and he knew what would happen next. She would scream "pervert" with all her might and cause a mob of angry guards to come in a flash flood to eliminate him. Although it could be far worse if Hinata came out and shut all his chakra coils.

"Um, is the lady decent at this time," she requested, not phased at all by the male's exit from the female's room.

"Huh," he yelped confused as to why he hadn't been chased away like Jiraiya already.

"I am well aware that all of us have needs to attend to. However, I must return the lady her clothing…I take it she isn't too tired to attend breakfast?"

"Huh," he asked with no minimal amount of distress.

The female moved between him and the door and entered inside.

"_What __the __hell __did __she __mean __by __that_," he pondered as he moved down the small stretch of walk way to his own room.

He stayed lost in thought over the comment and attempted to clothe himself for the return trip home. He had thankfully left some clean clothes in his room, because he soon realized that he left his bag in Hinata's room. He struggled into his pants due to his body still being primed for specific activities. It wasn't until he realized how obvious the bulge at his crotch was that he realized what the red head had meant.

"She thought me and Hinata had...," Naruto coughed for a bit at the implications of it. He hadn't thought anything like that about Hinata. Hell he had only really held a conversation with her about a dozen times. She probably would accept the way he acted, but he knew all too well that no woman would be interested in a demon container.

"_Its __not __like __there__'__s __any __chance __that __would __happen_," he grunted and caught himself for the thought of a possible relationship between them.

There really wasn't anything to show him she was interested. Hinata was just a weird ninja with some odd habits. She was heir to her clan, which meant she would probably be married off to some "important" individual. But she was different from the rest of her family and didn't seem to believe the world circled around her.

Naruto gave a sigh of relief that he had gotten dressed by instinct, even with his higher thought processes distracted. He bit his lip and realized he hadn't really given a relationship with anyone really much thought.

"_The __only __female __I __ever __really __tried __to __be __with __was __Sakura-chan. __I __wonder...,_" he brooded until interrupted by an all too familiar voice.

"Sir, would you please follow me to the dining area," a feminine voice questioned through the closed door.

Naruto sighed and hoped the girl kept the incident to herself and hadn't informed Hinata of what had transpired.

* * *

Hinata awoke to the sound of the door's groan as it allowed access to someone.

She blinked a series of times and found herself with a pillow under her that she had been face down into.

"It was a dream," she said both sad and relieved to know that the incident had been just a hallucination inside a dream.

"Pardon me," called a female voice that drew her attention to the red headed occupant in the room.

"Um, hai?"

"I just wished to return your jacket. I noticed it was damaged and I wanted to repair it before your departure."

"Thank you."

"Um, if I must say it appears you had quite an active night."

Hinata realized what she meant with the sheets and pillows being piled up on the floor.

"I'm sorry I usually don't move around that much. I'm sure it was only a one night thing," she replied, the comment completely lost on her.

"I see. I will go and inform your companion of breakfast and guide you both when you are prepared," she gave a low bow and excused herself from the room a rather red blush along her cheeks.

Hinata disregarded the comment and dressed herself appropriately for the morning. She put on her jacket and was a bit taken aback when her breasts felt sensitive and hurt as if some pressure had squeezed them a bit.

"_I __must __have __fallen __off __the __bed __and __crushed __them,_" she concluded and tried to put on her jacket, but the extra strain caused by the zipper made her wince. She removed the item and felt a hint of dread when she knew that if she put on her bra the pain would be far worse than the jacket.

She had decided to chance the possible soreness and removed a lavender colored bra from her pack. She removed her shirt and positioned her breasts into each cup, but as she went to attach the straps she bit her lip in reaction to the pain.

"_What __can __I __do,_" she thought and in a minute was inside of her pack. She just prayed to Kami that she brought some bandage wrap. She smiled with glee when she found a half roll.

"_I __need __to __bind __them, __otherwise __I __could __get __hurt __even __worse,_" she thought and prepared for the challenge of binding her breasts without a second pair of hands.

The process took her a few minutes and it wasn't the most comfortable fit, yet she knew it wasn't any better for a choice if she went bra-less. She had just finished when a knock made it clear she needed to be done shortly. She put on her shirt and grabbed her jacket for the day and decided to leave it unzipped. Hinata took her bra and left it on the bed, since she figured she would have time to pack after they ate.

* * *

*Konoha hospital*

It had been a rather uneventful day for him as he finished the written reports on his last few patients. Taro had gotten bored over the last day and decided to come into work to occupy his brain. He had nearly finished all his previous backed up reports when a knock at his door brought him back from medical processes to his normal enthralled self.

"Come in the door is open," he said to not waste a moment to raise his head and observe the person.

"Taro Masahiro," queried a ninja with a weird set of goggles on.

"Last time I checked that was the name on the door," Taro continued as he signed an order for pain killers and a few general components to imitate the effect of soldier pills.

"Two messages for you sir, please sign here," the man added as he withdrew a scroll from his pouch with a spot designated for his signature.

Taro narrowed his brow and became serious when he noticed red and black marks on the paper notes. He signed abruptly and took a hold of the items and already knew what needed to be done.

"I apologize for the damage done to the notes; however, I haven't endured any rain over the travels since I took them," he tried to reassure him as he took off.

Taro opened up the letters one at a time and knew what was required to decrypt them. The marks on the edges of the notes meant that it was Anbu related and was a request for specific supplies.

The first letter had a number of markings all over it. None of the marks made any sense, but that was only to those who weren't knowledgeable about how Konoha coded their higher security materials.

Taro folded the scroll in numerous directions and eventually had a circular shaped piece of paper that when held up to the light had the kanji for a specific number placed on it. The first one had the number 43 while the other a 98.

He was confused by the random numbers brought in. The numbers were coded based on what exactly was required by that particular ninja. Values 1-30 were for chemicals needed to make specific bombs or traps. 31-70 were solutions made to enhance physical performance like soldier pills, and chakra steroids. While values 71-160 were poisons for assassination or suicide.

Taro hadn't made any of the compounds in several years. This was due to him being off active duty. Not to mention, the possibility of him dying due to the dangerous process the poisons needed to be crafted in. It wasn't that he was careless, it had been an accident caused by an idiotic assistant who was immediately fired.

"_Why __did __these __come __to __me_," he wondered as he pulled out a notebook that had the list of the requested materials correlated with their numbers.

Under normal circumstances these medical requests would come into the village by general hawk messengers. Anbu would collect the note and return it to headquarters where the letter would be scrutinized for any chance of forgery. Afterward, the compounds would be made and then the elders of the council would dictate whether or not the materials would be provided based on the mission and ninja who performed it.

Taro, for one, wondered if he knew the person who sent the scrolls to him. However, the real problem was what he should do about the requests. It would be a lot of trouble if he sent out a poison to someone and it was used to kill an important person to Fire country. He could also be charged with treason if the medicine was sent to an enemy of Konoha.

"_What __the __hell __do __I __have __to __lose __really_," he asked. From the intricate details on the seal he could tell the message wasn't a cheap imitation.

He doubled checked the numbers and noted the special pills were requested to have a chakra coil dilator, which would help to increase chakra flow temporarily. The other chemical was a Citric acid cycle inhibitor and would prevent the body from making the high energy electron carriers from undergoing cellular respiration.

"_Why __the __hell __would __someone __use __this __for __assassination_," Taro wondered at the choice of poison.

Most assassinations were done swiftly and made it appear as if a natural cause was the reason. However, this wasn't a fast death. This stuff could linger for hours to days. It was a poor choice of poison and would eventually make it seem like a natural death by fatigue or age. Crushed Ilium or reduced water lily extract could be fatal and were plentiful, which made the origin of the poison hard to pinpoint.

The other request was equally strange. The coil dilator would make it easier to pump chakra through ones system, but it wouldn't really help unless the person had a large amount of stamina to create adequate chakra flow. Logically, it would just make more sense to ingest a soldier pill. The most this would do is allow someone to bypass the pain limits from their chakra coils.

"_I __don__'__t __understand __who __would __want __these __things. __Neither __of __them __seems __like __optimal __choices __for __an __assassination __or __personal __enhancement,_" he thought and noted to send the materials to the Hokage after they were produced.

"A bad omen," he grumbled and against his better judgment left to the market and Yamanaka flower shop to obtain the material components.

* * *

The dining area was a large table that was nearly twenty feet long and five feet wide and made from some dark wood. The ceiling was constructed from what looked to be marble and had some golden plant pattern engraved into it. The effect of the majestic sight was only further enhanced by the morning sunlight that flowed into the room through a series of stained glass windows.

It had been a beautiful presentation with all of them equally satisfied with their meal. Naruto and Hinata had never seen such a breakfast set out for them. The gratitude of the Daimyo was almost limitless, which showed in the quantity and variety of foods. There was rice, omelets, grilled/broiled fish, and miso soup. There were also several fruits neither of them had ever seen let alone tasted.

Hinata gently squeezed the pomegranate seeds in her mouth to partake of the sweet tart flavor and swallowed the remaining "pit" to not appear rude. She felt a bit embarrassed when Naruto put a handful of seeds in his mouth and covertly hid the pits in an empty cup he pretended to drink from.

The meal they had was magnificent to the last bite and was suddenly interrupted by a familiar pink haired female who entered behind a green haired guard.

"Good morning," whispered the low female voice of one Haruno Sakura being a bit worse for wear, but rested somewhat for the return trip.

"Morning Sakura-chan," shouted Naruto, which wasn't the best idea he noticed by the vein that throbbed in her forehead.

Sakura looked drained and this protected both teammates from retribution for her despair. The rest she had gotten was wonderful to say the least. The bed she had slept on was a lot softer then what she would've expected for a soldier, even a captain.

She joined her comrades at the table and welcomed the food, which helped to ease the headache that throbbed from her forehead to her eyeballs.

A half hour passed and by this time all of them were satisfied and prepared to depart. That was until the noise of wood tapped on the floor grabbed all their attention.

"Ninja of Konoha, may I present Tsubasa Takahashi," Nephenee shouted and quickly went to a knee as her lord entered into the meal area.

"Nephenee," the Daimyo thundered, "Address me properly when we are in the presence of others, or do you forget your place," he questioned with hardened eyes.

Nephenee immediately bowed her head so suddenly that her helmet clacked against the floor.

"I ask your forgiveness, my Lord. I forgot my place," she whispered in a rare moment of submissiveness.

"Be gone," he shouted at her

The green haired female took no time to vanish into one of the nearby corridors.

The trio of Konoha Nin all appeared confused as to why the Daimyo was enraged by the use of his name. Although sometimes individuals of power did tend to let their ego inflate over time.

Naruto bit his lip at the Daimyo, since the guy acted all high and mighty and probably needed his ass kicked. It also pissed him off, since it reminded him of a certain black haired person. Naruto lowered his head as he remembered Sasuke and wondered where he was.

Hinata looked over at Naruto and saw him stare into the floor with a depressed expression.

"_I __wonder __what __is __on __Naruto__'__s __mind,_" she thought as they were greeted by their benefactor in a much kinder tone.

"I thank you once again for the news that you brought. I'm certain the hospitality I have shown you properly represents my feelings toward the Leaf village."

"Thank you for your time and care, Lord Daimyo. We shall be departing shortly," Hinata responded respectfully and topped it off with a small bow of her head.

"Thank you," Sakura added a small bow of her own.

Naruto remained silent unable to shake the thought of his ex-teammate from his head. He did constantly wonder what things would've been like if he had stopped him at the valley's end. Would they all be here at the Daimyo's? Could they have beaten that guy in the desert without issue?

Naruto was so deep in thought he didn't hear a single word that was said nor see the shocked faces of his teammates that wanted to think him to give his thanks.

"Was there any displeasure with my hospitality ninja-san," the Daimyo more stated then asked.

Naruto came back from his mind trip and looked dumbstruck at the older man.

"I…"

An explosion knocked everyone out of their seats and made the Daimyo go face first into the carpet.

"What the hell was that," shouted Naruto.

* * *

*Corridor outside the treasure room*

Nephenee had taken her leave and had decided to go about her rounds to ease her frayed nerves. She had forgotten her place as captain of the guard and she was bound to suffer the wrath of the Daimyo for her stupidity.

"_I __will __not __fail __you __again, __my __lord_," she reassured herself as she made her way to the treasure room.

"Attention," she shouted when the two soldiers she had on duty were within range.

She approached closer and saw that the neither of the men made a move despite her approach. She gritted her teeth in the fact all of these morons had been stupid enough to fall asleep while under her charge and she was in no mood to suffer idiots.

"Wake up, damn it," she yelled and shoved the pair.

She glared in horror when the bodies struck the wall and disintegrated into sand.

"Care to join your men, soldier," echoed a voice for all around the hallway.

She immediately pointed her weapon down toward the darkness and tried to isolate the location of the voice.

"Ramped Earth," echoed out as pillars of rock spikes rushed down the hall and prevented any chance to dodge.

The hall filled with dust and obscured the view. Kelgan laughed as he landed with a pack full of treasure still on his back.

"Simple soldiers."

When the dust settled he couldn't imagine how unlucky he was when said female stood in the same place as trails of lightning danced off her armor and halberd.

"You picked the wrong time to fuck with me," she shouted with near demonic lust.

"Nebula Tornado," she flicked her halberd in front of her and made a cyclone of green electricity that blasted out a section of the wall to the outside.

Kelgan retreated and took some cover behind a stone pillar to prevent him from being fried. He cursed as it seemed he continued to run into impossible odds.

"_Fuck __this __there__'__s __no __reason __to __take __all __this __money __if __I __can__'__t __spend __it,_" he thought and jumped out the hole in the wall.

"Little bastard," yelled Nephenee as numerous guards arrived behind her.

"Orders captain?"

"Secure the Daimyo and make sure no one tries to engage the enemy ninja," she jumped through the hole and kept pursuit of her prey.

* * *

*The Dining hall*

The Konoha team was quick to recover, not too startled by the explosion and mayhem about them. Hinata checked the Daimyo and was surprised to see the man knocked out cold. She called over Sakura who did a diagnostic jutsu and found the man had broken his nose in the fall.

Naruto moved to one of the stained glass windows and noticed a familiar looking red head pass by, followed by a rather ominous green haired soldier. He gritted his teeth at the site of the man and formed his favorite hand seal as two clones appeared beside him.

"Let's go," he said as the clones lifted the Daimyo up and carried him off.

Naruto broke through the window and gave chase and was joined soon by his companions. He didn't know why, but somehow he felt he needed to catch this man.

Kelgan kept up his pace best he could as he felt the broken bits of his arm still jar about. It was a temporary fix he did with some emergency pills to grow bone and muscle. However, he was no medic and hadn't placed the bones back correctly so he was handicapped.

He neared the edge of the roof, yet was blown off course by an explosion of electricity again. He rolled down the slope of the rooftop and allowed himself to fall over the edge. He reoriented his body and began a run down the wall to the courtyard to try and get some cover with other soldiers around.

"_Shit,_" he thought as he landed in a place full of emptiness. There were no guards, maids, or servants. The area was about the size of a vacant park and decorated with pots filled with exotic plants.

A loud explosion was all he heard before a sharp lance tip narrowly skewered his heart. He tilted his body to let his cargo absorb the shock, although he quickly realized that the gold conducted electricity.

He skidded on the ground and took a second for his muscles to come back under his control.

"_Why __out __of __all __the __ninja __I __can __come __up __against...__a __lightning __user,__"_ he growled and rushed through a series of one handed seals as the rocks and stone from the ground began to stick to all his exposed flesh.

"Living colossus," he wheezed already worn from the relentless assault he had been chased by.

He swung his arms into the ground to crack the foundation of the brick masonry. The debris accumulated into a bulbous mass to make an impromptu mace. Kelgan shifted his priorities and decided to attack the female. The armor helped to fortify his defense and took little away from his offense.

Nephenee jumped back and dodged the boulder fists with ease and looked for weak points. She took a series of swipes with her halberd at the joints, which took out chips of rock and stunned the man as the electrical current disoriented him.

"Surrender now and I promise your death will be swift," she offered as she braced herself and struck with a lightning infused fist that made a crater near her opponent's chest.

Kelgan stumbled back from the sudden pain, but kept his mind focused on his plan. The rubble that was torn from his body floated in mid air and flung themselves at the soldier. The shards of earth made dents in her armor while she blocked the shards from her face with her weapon.

More shards flew at her head and forced her to dig into her defense. She peered around her weapon and noted the golem advance on her position. She tried to jump back, but her efforts failed as some of the rock shards had clung to her feet and glued her to the floor.

"Damn," she growled and started to rip off the restraints.

The next moment she could hear bells ring around her and things appeared over bright and fuzzy. Her back felt alright, but there wasn't any doubt that now she probably had a concussion and maybe some internal hemorrhage. The stone humanoid appeared larger from her place on the ground. She struggled to kept conscious, which was aided when the golem's hand restrained her arm and effectively broke it under its weight.

Nephenee couldn't fight back. Her arm was stuck, her halberd was pinned, and she barely was able to keep a single eye open with the pain she was in.

"Forgive me, Takahashi-sama," she whispered and closed her eyes to await death.

"Rasengan!"

A blue orb contacted the golem and sent it halfway across the courtyard. The orb had torn off a considerable amount of rock to show Kelgan inside.

"The fucking blonde asshole again, just great," he yelled and refocused his chakra to reform the rock armor.

Naruto prepared for a fight and wondered where his teammates were, but knew he could handle this. He started to form another rasengan with a clone and charged forward. A cerulean orb of chakra collided with the golem's fist, which again flew back and destroyed all the things around it.

Hinata waited to join the battle and instead examined the golem to find something that could be exploited. The technique used chakra to add rock and mortar to itself to keep the user protected.

"Naruto-kun that armor will just keep repairing," she shouted and threw explosive tag kunai all over the rock armor to see if the time to repair differed due to location.

Sakura saw to Nephenee and was glad to see that she only had a cracked humerus and radius bone. She began to bend and break the armor plates off so she could view the muscle tissue damage.

"Why aren't you helping them fight? I couldn't stop him and you trust two of them to be able to," Nephenee asked confused as to how the pink haired girl could so freely work on her without care of the battle.

"You don't know Naruto," was all she said and mended the bones back into place.

Naruto continued to pummel Kelgan with numerous rasengans and refused to relent in his efforts. He struck full on with another sphere, however he was stopped cold when the ball tore open the rock and the golem stood strong. Kelgan had expected the blow again and anchored himself with some spikes of rock from his legs impaled into the ground.

"Surprise, asshole," Kelgan laughed and landed a punch with his uncovered hand that swelled Naruto's eye a bit.

The blonde recovered quicker than the Earth nin planned when he tossed a kunai that cut into Kelgan's right eye brow while in mid roll.

"_Alright __now __I__'__ll __just __need __to __kill __everyone,__" _Kelgan groaned as the armor turned black and hardened.

"_I __could __always __use __explosive __clones, __but __that __would __destroy __everything __here __too_," Naruto grunted and made a hundred shadow clones puff into existence.

The clones pulled out their own kunai and shuriken and rained down metal death on the animated statue. The metal tools broke and deflected off the black surface without a single visible chip in the stone for the effort.

Hinata had examined the situation long enough and found the chakra flow in the earth shield had nearly doubled and the only way to break through was to stop the user's chakra flow or some attacks that caused mass devastation.

She grabbed a hold of a nearby clone and spoke something into his ear and was shocked when it stabbed itself and vanished.

"Attack," thundered as all the clones rushed in throwing shuriken and kunai with explosive tags.

"Shards of Earth."

The golem smashed its hands into the ground and the wreckage formed into razor sharp shards that flew out all around. The clones all seemed to vanish save for a single blonde with a blue orb that came at him.

Kelgan gritted his teeth and decided this time to be aggressive he ran right at the blonde and was ready to catch him with both hands. He smirked as they closed the distance between them. He brought both hands down and noticed how the blonde turned into that pale eyed girl.

Hinata fell on her back, which she covered with a layer of chakra to allow her to slide on the ground and between Kelgan's massive feet. She came to a halt and catapulted herself up as she dug the heel of her foot into the ground.

"Eight trigram sixty-four palm," she shouted and began a series of strikes into the back with as much chakra as she could focus into each blow. She struck at the chakra coils and did her best to penetrate through the dense covering.

Kelgan laughed as he was pushed forward and he didn't feel his shield falter. The blows abruptly ended and in so her life would as well. He raised his still stone covered foot and prepared a kick into her head and burst it like a watermelon. His chest suddenly felt tight enough that he couldn't breathe and his muscles ached as he lost control of his chakra.

Hinata jumped back from her exertion and smiled when the giant soldier of stone crumbled into pebbles.

Kelgan couldn't recall a time when he felt so powerless. His will was still strong enough to keep up the fight, but his body refused to be invigorated by such a source of energy. His hands and legs twitched as he struggled to keep them stable. He didn't care if he died or not now. He just wanted to kill one of the fucks who brought him to this end.

"Bitch," he shouted and stumbled on his battered limbs to the pale eyed female. He had a dozen explosive tags and a single kunai, which was more than enough explosive to suicide bomb this girl.

He was ten feet away when the blond kid tackled him to the ground. Kelgan grimaced as the bone in his right arm felt like it had been drummed on with a sledgehammer. He brought the kunai around and stabbed and felt it sink in followed by a puff of smoke. He felt his heart stop when the explosive note started to burn down and he didn't have the time to get rid of it.

An explosion rocked the entire palace and left many of them to wonder what had occurred. Thankfully, Naruto had sent a clone to pull Hinata out of the area of effect before the detonation.

The aftermath was a horrid sight for all of them to view. There was nothing left of Kelgan, save for a few pieces that were displaced here and there. It was ghastly the way he had brought about his own end.

"Nice work," Nephenee commented as she overlooked the crater to ensure no type of trickery was used for the red head to escape.

"I thank you for your assistance, Leaf nin," she said not at all affected by the blood or the twitches the body parts did as its nerves kept firing.

"That wasn't necessary for him to do," Naruto grumbled a bit taken back that he couldn't stop him. The main reason he tackled the guy was to restrain him

"His life was about to end and he found it better to die at his own hand then suffer in a dungeon or torture chamber," she responded with an almost prepared speech.

"Do you really believe this was better," Sakura questioned not really sure what to make of the guard.

"All of you could one day end up in the same situation and be forced to decide whether you want to end your life or suffer a long time before the end," she retorted with calm logic.

Naruto wanted to further argue the point, however he really couldn't. He knew from the first day that he joined the ninja academy he would eventually be killed while on a mission or if the village needed to be defended when he became Hokage. He just figured he would use suicide as a last resort, since as long as he was alive there could be a way to succeed.

"_Will __I __need __to __make __that __kind __of __decision __if __I __fought __Sasuke? __Would __he __try __to __kill __himself __if __I __stop __him,_" he wondered and broke eye contact with everyone. The thought of his ex-teammate as nothing more than a red splat on the ground made him sick to his stomach.

Hinata knew that a ninja wasn't guaranteed life, but death. It was the life they chose and she was sure each of them knew it was going to be difficult. She for one had only seen s sight like this when Gaara had annihilated those rain nins. But, to actually see someone blown into a pile of red goo made her feel queasy.

Sakura couldn't bring herself over the sight before her. She had expected Naruto to bring this nin down and get him to stop like he normally could. However, there were some people who were just as unpredictable as Naruto and, in this case, it meant someone had died. But, no matter how much the sight of death saddened her she would rather bury an enemy then a friend.

"Captain Nephenee," shouted numerous guards that arrived to investigate the abrupt silence.

"What are you doing here? I gave specific orders to protect the Daimyo. Why are all of you here when he could still be in danger," she demanded and her anger was instantly stifled by the arrival of the Fire Daimyo himself.

She went to a knee and bowed embarrassed that they were probably there on his direct order.

"I must apologize for the situation Daimyo, I…"

"There is no need to explain the situation. A pair of blonde ninja explained the state of things to me once I awoke. When he informed me that you fell in battle I ordered all the troops to reinforce you."

Nephenee couldn't help it, but she smiled at the fact that he was worried about her well being.

"Thank you, my lord. We owe our thanks to these Konoha ninja as well as my life to Naruto."

The Daimyo examined the trio and was deeply impressed by the potential he saw. Konoha sure knew how to train them.

"I can only offer my thanks, Konoha ninja. I won't forget this favor you have done, but I must ask you to leave so we may get things in order and clean up this incident."

The Daimyo walked over to Naruto and did something rare for himself. He bowed to Naruto and gave his deepest thanks.

"Heh, no problem," Naruto responded as the guards arrived and had their personal supplies with them.

Naruto gave thanks when he grabbed his pack and was glad to know Hinata wouldn't find out about their nocturnal activities.

*Palace Gates*

Nephenee escorted the team to the gate for their departure.

"I can't thank you enough for the job that you did. And I won't forget that you saved my life, Naruto," Nephenee offered and noticed a few cryptic looks on the groups faces.

"Yes," she questioned.

"Where did you learn to fight and move like a ninja," Sakura asked and was surprised when the green haired female only laughed.

"I was trained in the hidden cloud village. I was once in line to be the next Kage…but things changed."

The group was astonished by the fact that the Daimyo had a personal ninja as his body guard. Yet, it made sense with normal soldiers being no match against a trained ninja assassin.

"Um…why is the Daimyo so nice to you? I didn't believe a lord would be so attached to his captain of the watch," Hinata asked.

Nephenee actually giggled for a moment before she put her serious face back on.

"That's because I am one of the Daimyo's brides."

"What," they all shouted with open mouths.

"I didn't believe it would be that much of a shock," she sweat dropped at their response to it. Almost insulted they would think she couldn't be married.

"Why don't you have people to serve you? And what about the message that was an agreement of marriage," Hinata asked, staggered that someone could love someone and be okay with them married to another. She couldn't imagine the pain that came with the knowledge of a shared husband.

"I wasn't raised in a position of high class or honor. I was brought up knowing only how to kill and remain hidden. I am not someone that would live a life of being served and waited on. The Daimyo is a very special man, and if I can only act as his guard and not a full bride that is what I shall do. I make that sacrifice to be with him," she responded with sorrow and love on the edges of her words.

Hinata gulped and wondered if one day she too would need to make that choice. To be selfish and keep the man she loved to herself or let him be shared due to how special he is.

"Good day, Ninja of Konoha. Kami light your path," Nephenee said and retreated behind the gates.

"I just want to go home," Naruto sighed glad that the mission had come to an end.

* * *

Taro had just finished the compounds from the safety of the sealed off room in the highest floor of the hospital. He carefully removed the white pills from their covered molds. He wanted to swear when his visor filled with fog from the condensation of his breathing so hard. He hadn't wished to take any unnecessary risks and went in a full body suit with air filter.

Taro's hands started to shake as he was about to transport the medicine to a small colander that had incredibly fine holes in it. He gathered the white circular pills and took a deep breath to steady himself.

"_Easy __now__…__nice __and __slow,_" he dipped the colander into a boiled black fluid, which resulted in a white vapor cloud in the room.

He removed the contents and dunked it immediately into an ice water bath and examined the completed product. The black fluid had immediately hardened and made a water resistant coat on the medicines.

"_Perfect,_" he grunted and extracted the pills into a small white container.

Taro double checked his "cook book" to confirm he hadn't skipped a single step of the process. He had already squeezed the fluid out of the Ilium and water lily flower petals and condensed it down into a powder. The substance was shaped into pill form with some aspirin and sugar to slow the metabolic breakdown of the compound, with the final step of a coat of gelatin to ensure that the medication wasn't damaged by any moisture.

The chakra steroids had thankfully been a lot easier. It was a simple matter to order the steroids from the pharmacy and condense them together with some coil stimulant pills. The same water resistant casing was just an extra precaution for transport.

"That should do it," he confirmed and exited the safety chamber so he could take off the damn mask and gloves.

He blinked a series of times and was frustrated as he looked into the mirror of the decontamination area and noted the indentions on his skin from the safety gear.

"_Stupid.__This __is __just __stupid...__what __I__'__m __doing_," he thought as he washed his arms and rinsed his hair to ensure he hadn't gotten any contaminates on himself.

Taro began to slowly lean as he felt the world spin about him. His vision blurred and he barely caught himself on the counter top.

"Just fucking great," he grumbled and figured his suit had some type of tear in it and he had exposed himself to some of the toxic fumes.

"Miki," he shouted and did his best to remain at his current location.

"Hai," yelped a brown haired female in a nurse uniform who appeared freaked out to be an assistant to Taro.

"Take these to the Hokage's office and make sure they are shipped to the numbers listed on them," he slurred a bit on the end and crashed to a seat on the floor.

"Masahiro-san," she ran and assisted him in his endeavor.

Miki had only been a nurse for two years so far and she did enjoy the work she did. However, there were times she wished Masahiro-san didn't do such dangerous things and left it to the Anbu that had the necessary equipment. She prayed to Kami each time he did such things so he wouldn't abruptly end his life.

"Let me help you first," she offered and wasn't rewarded for her kindness.

"Get these fucking things to the Hokage, now," Taro shouted as he threw the white packages into her arms and lied down on the floor.

Miki stood a bit wide eyed at the sudden dismissal and wanted to and help Taro. However, she did know better and Taro was quite a vicious individual with his words. She hadn't thankfully been the target of his razor tongue as of yet. Although, she had seen more than one occasion where certain people looked like they had been spiritually murdered.

She gave in and left with at frustrated grunt. She took her trip down the hall and was happy that everything appeared to be business as usual without any major emergencies.

"Gai-sensei, I challenge you to a race around the village," echoed down the hallway and a green blur dashed by and she almost drop the pouches.

"I accept your challenge, Lee. And I won't even use my legs," came the reply, and this time a similar green blur flew by. However, this one left a trail of tire marks that were distinct to a wheelchair.

Miki felt confused beyond belief as to why there was a race scheduled in the walkways of the hospital.

"What do you two think you're doing," she thundered and shook both her hands into the air.

Her heart dropped when the packages descended from her hands and ruptured when they impacted the tile floor. Her mind panicked as the contents from both bags rolled along the floor and only further added to the dread when she noticed they were both the same color and size. This was due to the coat that was meant to keep out water also made almost all the pills appear the same.

She scrambled to gather the medicine and picked up both bags to only spiral further into fear when one of the bags entire content had fallen out.

"_What __do __I __do? __Taro __will __butcher __me __if __he __finds __out I __screwed __up __like __this? __What __if __I __just __put __them __back __into __the __bags?__No __I __don__'__t __know __what __the __compounds __are. __They __all__ look __the __same __too_," her mind rambled on as she gathered all the pills and hid in a nearby room that was thankfully unoccupied.

Miki felt her heart beat a mile a minute as she attempted to save herself from the horrible mistake she had made.

"_Kami, __if __you __can __hear __me __please __save __me_," she prayed as she examined both the containers and noticed no markings in the corners.

Konoha frequently checked and double checked everything they sent to their ninjas or otherwise. The absence of a label meant that the package didn't have anything dangerous inside of it.

"They're both harmless," she shouted in relief and carefully weighed out an even amount of pills and filled both bags again.

She smiled in contentment when once again the world slammed her back down. She had to drop these off with the Hokage. She bit her lip and rubbed the back of her head when she came to the most logical explanation.

"_Neither __bag __is __poisonous __so __there __shouldn__'__t __be __any __harm __in __sending __them __out __myself_," she smiled and made off with the supplies to the courier ninja office.


	8. Defibrillation

STOP! Before you begin this chapter I would like to warn you that the immediate content has a lemon scene at the start and that future chapters will contain mature situations. The graphic content may change and I will place a warning before each chapter to ensure no one is surprised.

To all my readers I thank you for all the reviews and story alerts. I never figured so many people would enjoy this story and I never figured I could be a good writer. Thank you enjoy and wish me luck in the coming semester to find free time for more chapter updates

* * *

*Lemon scene begins*

She had to take a series of shallow breaths to steady her already rapid heart rate. Her mind started to clear from the white haze and she became aware of the situation. Anko Mitarashi arched her back and shoved her hips harder into her partner as they undertook their current mission. Her thighs squeezed him like a vice as he thrust with enough vigor to resonate to her stomach.

Anko leaned forward and moaned directly into his ear to see if the plea would return her to a new plateau of pleasure.

The copy-nin complied abruptly and added to it with a sudden kiss against her lips. Anko ached to remove the blindfold from her eyes, but she knew the one rule and that was no one got to see his face. She often wished to pull the blind off; however the first and last time she tried he had she was stuck in a genjutsu thanks to that sharingan eye.

She felt the coil inside her tighten to the point she wondered if she were about to burst again. Kakashi's eyes bulged with excitement when she planted her feet from their seated position and ended up on top of him. He didn't fight back when she grinded so hard into him that it felt like she were about to bruise his pelvis. She had built up some tension in her body from the previous three day reconnaissance mission and was happy to discharge that excess stress with him.

The pair moaned and screamed as they reached their climax for the fourth time of the night/morning. Anko felt her release as a burst of hot liquid flooded into her and made her skin rush with goose bumps. She rolled to her side to catch her breath and allowed some of the fluid inside her to leak out. She didn't worry about pregnancy, since all female ninja were trained to use their chakra to seal off their womb.

Kakashi groaned as he felt the pain set in, due to the overzealous way she pleased his oversensitive appendage. He himself hadn't expected things to turn out this way, but he wasn't one to fight against an intense night of passion.

*end lemon scene*

"_I don't think I can feel my legs, but it was worth it,_" she thought with a smirk and removed the obstruction from her eyes. She checked over her side and there was the silver haired Cyclops his mask and headband already back on his face. It was always a mystery to her why he wanted to hide his face, although she wondered if he was horribly disfigured or just mysterious.

"What time is it," she asked and felt a bit aggravated when he just pointed in the direction of the clock he kept.

It was half an hour to six am and that meant she needed to get to Anbu headquarters. She had to see if she was needed to interrogate anyone or if she had the day off. She got up out of the bed sluggishly due to the lack of sleep, but felt refreshed enough as she gave herself a quick rinse in the shower.

She finished and wasn't surprised to see that her clothes were in a pile and Kakashi already appeared to be asleep. She got dressed and thought about the night's events. She had just gotten back into the village and ran into the copy-nin at the "Final Light" bar. After a few drinks, the man had wanted to catch up and she had needed some release.

Anko grinned and felt like she wouldn't need to be physical for awhile, since the man always knew how to satisfy. That and she could agree with the rumor that the copy-nin did know over a thousand different techniques. The thing was that most assumed that those were all jutsus and assassination techniques. She prepared herself to leave and noticed all the junk the man kept around his bachelor pad. It wasn't like she expected him to clean up for her. The relationship they had was purely physical and neither wanted to make it seem like they wanted a serious thing.

"_Wouldn't hurt for him to clean up a little to make the extra effort,_" she partly laughed and eyed him over a bit to assure that he was out.

An evil grin floated across her face as she sneaked over to him and lightly placed a finger on his mask. She noticed he didn't respond and tucked her nail underneath and pulled it down. She felt a sweat drop go down her head as another lighter blue mask rested below the first one. It was only momentary as she reached with her other hand to remove the secondary article. She was jostled when her hand was in a death grip less than an instant later.

"Cute, Kakashi," she said with no shortage of sarcasm.

She expected some type of response, yet the man said nothing and appeared to be trained enough to defend his face even when asleep. Anko shrugged it off and prepared to leave out the window now that she was fully dressed in her trench coat, short shorts, skirt, and fishnet covered black shirt.

"Don't forget to close the window after you leave," Kakashi said even though he had his back toward her.

"Close it yourself, lazy ass," she laughed and with a devious smile jumped out the window and traveled along the roofs of Konoha village.

She kept at a moderate pace, since it wasn't like she was about to be late for "work." Well, it was more fun the way she saw it. She came to a stop when she heard the sound of heavy footsteps on the ground, and by the way it resounded whatever made the sound was on the approach.

Anko stopped and took some cover behind a nearby shop sign. She normally wouldn't be so cautious when in her home, but she also knew that even Konoha village had its dangers.

She peaked out of her cover and noticed someone approach in what appeared to be a blue and silver jogging suit with the hood on. The person appeared to be male and it was confirmed when he came to a stop just about thirty feet from her and caught his breath. She smirked and wondered who it was, since she hadn't seen someone like that on any of the days she went to check herself in. Although, she didn't much care as she admired the place near the rear where the fabric appeared to grab and accentuate.

The male felt like he would throw up if he didn't catch enough air and get his CO2 level back down. He removed his hood and it was revealed the mystery man out for a run was none other than Taro Masahiro.

Anko inwardly gagged and felt a bit sick to her stomach as she realized who she had admired. She for one didn't think Taro had a bad body, but that personality made his body appear almost toxic to touch. It was like a poisonous frog: they were beautiful, but you didn't want to touch one unless you wanted to be in agony. She did take a second to consider some earlier times in her life when he was actually nice, but those instances were less common then a snowball in hell.

Taro grabbed his knees and inhaled as deeply as he could. He had currently been on the run through the village for two hours now. He had taken to this type of exercise to help relieve his mind so he could stop the thoughts that troubled him. But, like all distractions, eventually you had to come to a stop and face the problem. Although, the size of the problem made him wish he could run forever.

"Fuck," he gasped as he recounted last night's problem.

* * *

*Yesterday night, Hokage's office*

Taro still felt a bit screwed up from what happened early in the day. He felt ashamed of himself as there was no trace of toxins in his blood stream. He hadn't gotten enough fluid earlier in the day and he had merely been dehydrated. He scratched the back of his head and walked toward the door to the Hokage's office.

"_Wonder if she decided to send out the medicines or not_," he thought as he opened the door and was immediately met by a wall of white.

Taro carefully maneuvered himself around a six foot stack of papers, but nearly bumped into another and dove toward a small clear area to save his life.

"Tsunade," he questioned and wondered if maybe he would find a deceased Hokage buried in paperwork.

"Here," responded to the name.

"Where is here," he asked his view obstructed by paper and ink.

"Walk around," came a response that seemed to be a bit more slurred and less helpful.

He complied and navigated the best he could around the obstructions and found himself after a few minutes behind the Kage's desk.

"What do you want, Taro," Tsunade asked through eyes that seemed overly blood shot.

Taro felt a bit bad for the female, since he had been swamped with work a few times before to the same degree. That and the level of stress she was under was as blatant as the numerous empty sake bottles about the desk. He looked around and didn't see Tsunade's tag along anywhere.

"Shouldn't your assistant be here," he inquired as he looked over a form for payment of a B-class mission with Anko's name upon it.

"She's been sick and I advised her to remain at home," she grabbed the form out of his hand and doubled checked the payment was distributed evenly based on rank and squad members.

"Oh that's right, the flu patient I dropped medicine off for. You're sure she is taking them right," he asked with some rare sincerity to ease the tension the work caused.

"She'll be fine soon…this on the other hand," she trailed off as she grabbed and signed another form and notarized it with her ink seal.

"I take it that the backed up work is due to some intoxicating issues."

"What was the actual reason you stopped by," she asked and had to try desperately to keep her eyes open and not take another sip of sake to fuel her on.

"I stopped by to ask what you decided on the medicine that I had Miki bring," he stated and was a bit uneasy when he got a tired/angry glare from the blonde.

"I haven't received anything from your assistant today, Taro. And if this is some type of prank...," she threatened already in no mood to have to deal with an extra annoyance.

However, Tsunade felt her panic rise when Taro's face appeared to go several shades of white lighter. He gulped down some saliva audibly and said the one thing that made Tsunade's blood run cold.

"We have a problem."

He had told Tsunade all he knew and that he ordered his assistant to drop off the dangerous medicines to her for authorization in shipment. Miki was brought to the office by Anbu and was interrogated as to what she had done. Taro and Tsunade had nearly blown their tops when she informed them that she accidentally mixed the pouches together and shipped them out.

Taro gritted his teeth and wanted to scream and shout, but that could wait for later. Tsunade summoned a group of four anbu and informed them to pick up the dangerous materials. Yamato had been assigned as the squad leader and left that night to try and catch up with the courier nin. Although, they knew that the chance they had to obtain the supplies was slim to none. Jiraiya and Naruto's attempt to steal from a courier nin years back had made the group step up their training and now they all ran nearly as fast as Lee with his weights on.

"Miki, I won't have you arrested, yet. If either of those packages kills someone, I will be holding you responsible for it," Tsunade informed and felt no remorse for the level of incompetence, especially in someone in a medical position.

Miki felt her heart sink into a pit of despair. She had only wanted to help and now it looked like she would end up in Konoha prison for a simple mistake she made. She started to cry, which started to take an effect on Taro who waited patiently in the corner.

"_Don't say anything, Taro. Don't be a better person," _he reminded himself as to how much worse this could be for him. He knew if it killed someone he wouldn't be executed, but he would lose his job, his business, and possibly his ninja status. Yet, he couldn't just sit back and watch his assistant burn alive in a fire.

"I am the one who filled the orders despite the messages being of a personal address to me. Miki can't be punished for that," he said and watched Tsunade give him a stare that demanded that he shut his damn mouth.

"Fine, Taro. If someone dies from this mistake of yours then you can expect to breed an heir and after have a public execution for treason against this village," Tsunade thundered and noticed the glint of fear in Taro's eyes.

* * *

*Present time*

Taro had finally caught his breath and gave an exasperated shout that he was sure woke a few people in the immediate area. He lowered his hood and took off again despite the lactic acid build up that cramped his muscles. It had been 2 days since the whole incident was noticed. The thing that aggravated him the most was that nothing had been reported. That meant one of two things, the Anbu were either successful and the materials had been recovered or the medicine had reached its intended ninja and they died or were in the process.

Anko raised an eyebrow at how high strung Taro seemed. She had known the guy since the academy and he had never just freaked out before. He was usually very calculated and everything he did had a purpose to serve. He could predict how someone would react to something and be able to catch them before they even realized they were already trapped.

She recalled a time at the academy when he had purposely set off a paint grenade in class to get everyone to leave to get cleaned and questioned. When they were supposed to return he was gone and left her birthday present attached to the bottom or her seat. She knew it was him, since he wasn't really good at hiding his fingerprints that were all over the wrapping paper. Nonetheless, it didn't take away from the decorative tea bowl and coupons for a week's worth of dango.

But, he didn't seem at all too confident about something if he was so tightly wound. She decided it wasn't her problem. It wasn't like she could do anything for him, because Taro would sooner drown before he asked for help. She didn't take an extra second to deliberate the situation and made her way to the Anbu headquarters.

* * *

They all walked sluggishly as it was so early and they didn't appreciate the fact that on the way back there had been a rain storm that blew in as they entered the forest area. This normally wasn't a problem. They could usually bunker down and wait it out. But, with the torrential downpour and all the landslides there wasn't any safe ground to set up a tent.

They had escaped the rain at the cost of an all night walk that brought them back to Konoha village a day earlier then expected. Everyone was worn out and barely able to keep on their feet. They entered through the village gate without issue, since they looked so dead tired no one wanted to hassle them for fear of misdirected anger.

"I'm so hungry," Naruto complained as they entered back into the village. They had eaten some ready to eat rations on the way, but nothing could help his mood other than the savory, salty flavor of ramen.

Hinata felt the uncontrollable urge to eat, but she had already ingested all of her rations and eaten the one Naruto had offered her. Sakura pulled out a watch that she kept in her pocket. It was about 6:40 in the morning and she wanted to get their report turned in and call it a day, or two for that matter.

"Ichiraku ramen will be open in a bit…maybe I can get some free ramen if I help out," Naruto said in realization as he took off the next instant, his mind already too focused on the thought of food.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata called sad to see him go and knew they had to report to the Hokage about their early return and the mission's success.

She smiled at Sakura and the pink haired female knew already what was about to happen and figured it didn't matter too much anyway. She needed to report to Tsunade and inform her about what Taro had done.

"Go ahead. I'll take care of this," she confirmed and watched as Hinata took off in the direction of the hyperactive blond.

"_Not like the day could get much worse," _she thought as she walked toward Tsunade's office.

She had only made it a couple hundred feet down the village streets before she felt her body slump and made her want to "detour" away from the situation.

"We're a day early after all," her inner self reasoned as they made an abrupt right turn and in a few minutes found herself outside of her one bedroom apartment.

She undid the knot in her forehead protector and removed the specific article. Between the cloth and metal was a small strip of tape that kept her house key safe. It was a good alternative to trusting one's pocket, since the chance of clothing damage on any mission was particularly high. That and she had gotten fed up with the cost increases at the locksmith to replace the tiny bit of shaped metal.

She opened the door and was satisfied with her small living room. The living area was a simple set of chairs and a table meant for two. The kitchen to the left possessed the basic necessities of a stove top, refrigerator, and microwave. Sakura stopped in the doorway as she removed her shoes. The summation of how terrible the mission had been was evident as a deluge of water spilled on her floor. She grumbled for a second and decided to disregard the small misfortune.

She made her way up the stairs to the second floor and prepared herself for bed as she stripped herself bare on the way, leaving a trail consisting of: a shirt, shorts, forehead protector, and bra. She dropped to her bed and didn't even take the time to pull back the covers. It felt heavenly to come home to comfort. She felt a bit guilty that she was dirty and that would spread all over her sheets though.

"Sleep now…problems later," Inner Sakura gargled and went down to rest.

* * *

Teuchi had just woken up to the start of another magnificent day. He stretched out his arms and legs as he got out of bed and got dressed in his white robe and hat. He slipped into his sandals and made his way downstairs to his restaurant. Ayame had asked him before why he just didn't make the walk home and return to their business in the morning. He only replied that someone in particular really loved ramen and wouldn't be too happy if he didn't open on time.

He had just finished the preparation of the noodles. But, the sound of hands against the glass slide doors of the restaurant nearly made him spill the broth pot.

"Teuchi-san," shouted through the door and made him smile immediately as he knew who it was.

He walked through the darkened dining area of his business and removed the heavy lock and chain that kept the sliding door closed. He raised his eyebrow when no saw nothing outside.

"Pork ramen, please!"

Teuchi nearly jumped out of his skin with the sudden voice behind him. He turned with a bit of aggravation at the sight of Naruto Uzumaki in his favorite stool with a giant smile upon his face.

"You couldn't wait for me to open," he questioned and felt a bit flattered the male couldn't wait to get his daily ramen.

"Well, you are running a bit behind schedule," Naruto retorted, even though he was only behind be 1 minute.

"Well, since I'm late I guess a free bowl would suffice as an apology."

"You're the best," he shouted with enthusiasm.

"Naruto-kun," asked a low voice from just behind the flaps of the open walkway.

Naruto rotated in his seat and spotted the Hyuuga female with relative ease.

"Hey, Hinata. You wanted ramen too, huh," he asked a bit surprised to see her come in and eat after the last incident they had shared. Yet, when he thought about it he was the one who got the worst of the last accident.

"Um...Hai," she lied due to the lack of an adequate excuse that didn't hint to her like of the blonde or her veracious hunger.

"Come on over, we get a free bowl since Teuchi-san didn't open on time."

Hinata nodded and with a small shade of red on her face took the seat next to the male.

It made her happy that he didn't mind her there with him; since it hadn't been too long before that she had spilled a hot bowl of ramen into his lap. She just hoped that there wasn't any permanent damage done.

"There's no place like home," he said when the bowls of ramen appeared and he caught the smell of the salty broth.

"Hai," she agreed as they split their chopsticks and started their breakfast.

It appeared as though they would have a quiet meal, but it wasn't meant to be as Teuchi opened the divider between the kitchen and eating area.

"How did the job go," he asked with happy interest.

Naruto ate his food without so much as a blink as he recalled the previous days that had happened. Hinata on the other hand coughed and nearly asphyxiated on her mouthful of noodles.

Naruto noticed and was the first to respond.

"It wasn't that great. We only had to deliver a marriage contract that was accepted. It wasn't that much a big deal, but we did get to spend a day at the daimyo's palace" he said with a bored smile on his face.

Hinata kept quiet and watched as Naruto seemed unaffected by the things that had transpired.

"You got to stay at the Daimyo's palace? I take it you were on your best behavior," he partly played with Naruto, since he knew how to male could get at times.

"Of course, I was. Right, Hinata," he asked to get affirmation.

"Hai…Naruto-kun was very polite with everyone we met," she stuttered a bit and was confused as to why he left out the fight that had occurred.

Naruto wasn't one to brag about his accomplishments, but he wasn't humble either. She had expected him to say how there had been a huge fight and he had beaten some missing nin.

"I trust you, Naruto. There isn't any reason to prove it," he said and made sure to note that the blond appeared a bit more open with the pale eyed female. He would need to make sure to observe that a bit more.

"We also got to eat food made by the Daimyo's personal chefs. The ramen was pretty good," he said and watched as Teuchi seemed shocked to hear such praise for another ramen.

"But, it doesn't compare to Ichiraku's ramen. It's the best in the world," he confirmed and gulped down the rest of the broth with gusto.

Teuchi grinned to have such praise and felt a need to pull someone else further into the conversation.

"Do you agree with Naruto, Hinata," he had waited to ask after the female finished the broth to avoid a terrible situation.

Hinata was silent for a moment as she looked at Naruto and allowed the question to fully process. She had tried some ramen with her meal, but she was a bit unsure if it was better when she hadn't tried all the ramen that Ichiraku offered.

"I don't know."

Naruto all but swallowed his heart at that. He couldn't believe she didn't agree that Ichiraku's was the greatest ramen in the world. No, in existence!

"I haven't eaten many of the ramen flavors here," she added and watched the open mouth smock of her crush turn into a smile that shined like the sun it felt so warm and bright.

"Let's change that then one of everything Teuchi," he said and pulled out plump Gama-chan to pay for the expenditure.

Hinata felt her stomach gurgle in anticipation and worried if her secret would be revealed. However, she lost herself when she realized that Naruto-kun had offered to buy her a meal.

* * *

*3 hours later*

Teuchi felt a bit shocked and tired as he had to prep another batch of noodles to go with the wasabi sweet beef ramen. Ichiraku offered a total of forty-seven different flavors of ramen. To name a few were beef, miso, chicken, pork, vegetable, mushroom, secret recipe, diet, wasabi shrimp, and lime salmon. The pair started their fifteenth bowl each and he didn't have all the ingredients for some of the seasonal recipes.

"_How is it possible for them to keep eating,_" he wondered as he poured another pair of bowls and handed them to Ayame who had shown up only two hours before.

She delivered the two bowls to the pair and removed the other emptied ones. She smiled as they each ate a few spoonfuls and said what they thought about the flavors. It was quite loud in the restaurant despite the few other patrons besides the pair. However, it was expected when Naruto had something he was passionate about to discuss.

"This one is my favorite, the broth is spicy and then sweet and as you drink it near the bottom is gets nice and salty," he said and drank down the remainder of the broth happy to relish the experience.

Hinata followed suit and did enjoy the different complex flavors that went into the food. She didn't know how it was done, but somehow there seemed to be an almost infinite amount of flavors that Teuchi-san could put into his product.

"The spicy is a bit much for me, Naruto-kun. The sweet flavor I really enjoy though," she replied and wiped her mouth with her napkin and took a moment to let the burn in her nasal cavity diminish from the wasabi.

"But I was right wasn't I? The best ramen in the entire world!"

Hinata smiled wide and nodded her head in affirmation

Naruto gave an exuberant yawn as he felt the long walk/run back to the village catch up with him, despite his incredible stamina. He looked over and noticed his companion appeared to catch his yawn, but hid it a lot better behind one of her hands. Naruto felt a bit disappointed that he was tired, yet he knew he and Hinata both needed to rest.

Hinata noticed the change in the blonde's expression and wondered if something had gone wrong. She had been glad to speak more with him and be able to be more open, but she didn't know if that was due to the new level of comfort she had started to sense when around him or maybe it was just the full stomach she had to prevent the fainting spells.

"I need sleep," he sighed and stood from his stool with a bit of a wobble.

"See ya, Hinata," he added as he sluggishly made his way home with a belly a bit swollen with ramen.

Hinata smiled and waved him off as he left out the flaps of the open door. She felt it was bitter sweet as she wished to spend more time with him. However, she decided to just be thankful for the time they had on the mission and focus herself on the matter of her own strength. She had been helpful at times, yet she recalled that if Naruto hadn't been there she probably would've died in the desert.

"_I should return home and rest_," she thought and walked out of the doorway.

* * *

*Hyuuga compound*

Hinata approached the main gate and was happy when the guards didn't seem to notice that she had returned a day early. She took it as gift, since it meant she could probably relax before she was, for lack a better word, interrogated by her father. She didn't understand why he had to know all the things she did, but she doubted the need to know had anything to do with worry.

She easily traveled the network of hallways with practiced ease and took pleasure when she located her room. She fell back on her bed and felt relief on her lower back and hips after such a long walk with a pack on.

"_I should put everything away_," she grumbled and opened up her bag and began to sort out the contents.

"_Kunai, shuriken, medicine, bandages, underwear, Naruto-kun's jacket... where's my bra,"_ Hinata took a moment and went over the list in her head again and felt her heart stop.

She blinked a few times and squinted to make sure that someone hadn't played a trick on her. It didn't make any sense to her how or why she had Naruto's clothes. She gulped and contemplated what to do.

"_I should return this. It's Naruto-kun's favorite jacket,_" her mind trailed off when she caught a hint of the scent the male left on his clothes. Hinata was a bit embarrassed and slightly ashamed that she was in her crush's things without his permission. But, it wasn't exactly like it would hurt anyone…that and she hadn't stolen his clothes or anything so there was no pre-meditated plan to do this.

She felt her blush as she brought the orange and black fabric close to her face and took a deep inhale of it. It was quite a complex thing. She could smell a faint hint of forest trees, a waft of lake water (probably from the frog summons), and the distinct salty scent of ramen. It amazed her how this one small thing seemed to calm her heart and ease her weary muscles.

The female took a second to collect herself and checked about the room to confirm that no one would catch her. She even went as far to close the shades of her window to obscure any eyes that wandered.

She removed her own coat and tossed it to the floor without care. She undid the zipper of the article of clothing and steadied her frantic nerves.

"_What if someone sees me? Would Naruto-kun be okay without this to keep him warm? Should I take it back to him now,_" her mind sporadically asked, but went remarkably silent when she placed the coat around herself and found it provided warmth and comfort. She felt hot all over as she attempted to keep her breath and heart rate steady.

She zipped up the article and felt an almost transcendent peace wash over her. The jacket seemed to fit her well, except for the excess on the arms, shoulders, and mid section. It was clearly too big for her, but that didn't affect the way she felt at all.

She laid down on her bed and enjoyed the comfort that enveloped her. The calm was soon obliterated when she caught herself and recalled her last thought. Her heart rate climbed and her face seemed to slowly fill like a pot with hot water as it became fully red.

"_If I have Naruto-kun's jacket…then he has my...,_" she felt immediate panic set in and knew there was little time to waste as she ran through the compound and sprinted to Naruto's house.

* * *

*Doctor's office*

Hanabi felt like she couldn't be any more frustrated as she waited in the examination room for Taro. She never enjoyed medical visits because she just didn't like the situation it put her in. Normally if someone touched her it was a simple decision of what chakra coil to burst with a gentle palm strike. She didn't know why, but she just didn't like to be touched.

"_Taro is nearly fifteen minutes late…I'll make this less painful for both of us,_" she decided.

She rose from her seat on the examination bed and took her heart rate as she watched the clock in the room. She attempted to do her blood pressure, but unfortunately couldn't figure out how exactly to read the thing. Hanabi did the few other things that she could and measured her weight and height.

A knock at the door triggered her reaction as she grabbed a thermometer from the nearby table and retook her seat.

Taro walked in with a heavy sigh. He didn't feel like he could work with what weighed on his mind. The only thing that he wished was that Hanabi Hyuuga would for once be a quiet pain in the ass instead of a... well she was always that way at every examination.

"Masahiro," she greeted with a smug look as she put the thermometer in her mouth.

Taro gritted his teeth and felt that what miniscule amount of patience he had wouldn't suffice for the day.

"Hanabi…That's a rectal thermometer," he said emotionally empty at the situation, which was odd for him the one who usually took joy from another's stupidity.

Hanabi hid her disgust well, yet she couldn't hide the double shade more pale that she became. She waited for Taro to turn and close the door before she removed the item and scratched at her tongue with her teeth with an expressionless smock.

"Alright two immunizations: Tetanus and Flu, along with a full physical."

Hanabi nodded her head and held out her arm and knew that he was about to go through all the tests before the shots.

"Why were you late," she more demanded than questioned.

"I don't need to answer that, Hyuuga," he responded as he wrapped the pressure cuff around her arm and began to pump.

"Masahiro, the Hyuuga clan holds the values of being punctual and professional. I believe your clan does as well," she stated and poked a rather sore spot for the sole survivor.

Taro gritted his teeth and in his anger accidentally pumped the cuff a bit too full and had to catch himself and release the pressure as to not hurt the girl. But, if she wanted to stab at each other he was happy to see who had the thicker skin.

"Just as your clan focuses on emotionless faces…you do know if you don't smile once in a while your face will be stuck like that," he shot back as he recorded the information down.

She kept her stoic face and merely exhaled a bit to show her displeasure.

"I'm not a small child who would believe that."

"Really, when was the last time you saw Hiashi's facial expression change," he questioned and kept his composure well.

Hanabi, on the other hand, was still young and no matter how hard she tried her facial features and movements were red flags as to what her mental state was.

"_Has Hiashi-sama ever smiled,_" she tried to recall the earlier years of her life and she couldn't pick a single moment where the man smirked or even had an angry smock.

"Truth hurts, doesn't it," Taro added as he finished the immunizations as she was lost in her thoughts.

Hanabi came back to reality only to have her arm more sore then she remembered.

"_What did he inject me with…probably poison with his mental stability,_" she wondered as he put all the needles down and began clean up.

"See that wasn't such a problem now was it," he spoke and used his voice specially for children.

Hanabi felt her superiority renew and decided to continue her own assault on the male.

"I have always wondered what is wrong with your eyes, Masahiro," she asked and knew she struck a nerve when he dropped the needles to the floor.

Taro had to take a moment to steady himself. No, he wasn't about to lose his temper he knew that if you lost that you lost reason and without that you lost yourself. He felt his sadistic side flicker to life and he returned and callously removed a photo from his breast pocket.

"It's a birth defect, just like your eyes," he put the photo in front of the girl and watched the fireworks start to fly.

The photograph was a picture of a Hyuuga female she had long bluish hair that obscured the right side of her face. But, her eyes were so drastically different in that she had a deep purple iris that was so unlike many of the clan.

"This is the color a Hyuuga's eyes should be, each and every eye you have now is pale white. The only damn clan member you have left with an eye close to this is Hinata. That's right, your sister isn't damaged like you are," he thundered and took a deep breath to replenish himself after the shouts he let out.

Hanabi took a moment to digest what had been shrieked at her and didn't want to believe it. However, with the solid evidence before her she couldn't exactly deny what he said to be fact.

She bit her lip and struggled hard to keep herself composed, yet she failed due to the lack of experience in such a situation.

"_I'm not damaged I beat Hinata in everything that we do. The Hyuuga eye has been pale for years and who is that in the photograph,"_ she thought and couldn't help herself as she met Taro with a semi frustrated look on her face.

"That's a good start, but you might want to try a smile otherwise you'll end up old and alone like your father," he stabbed again and made Hanabi stand up and with a light jog she burst out the door.

He took a moment and felt maybe he had taken a step over the line. Although, he didn't really much care for the greater than thou personality; but he just managed to make a bomb and set it loose to destroy someone.

Taro looked at the picture and felt a small twinge of guilt as he slid the item back into his pocket. There was a place for these things and his place of employment wasn't one of them. He continued to reprimand himself as he cleaned up the broken needles.

Hanabi did her best to keep a stoic face, but ended up with more of a sadistic sneer. She was angry, to say the least, and she so badly wanted to strangle Taro to death. She was angry for multiple reasons. She had never known her mother so she didn't know why her father was so cold. The very idea that he would say that she was damaged compared to her weaker older sister pulled at her final nerve.

"_Hinata is a disappointment to our clan and I'll prove it! And I can too smile,_" she told herself and stopped in front of a piece of glass as she was about to exit the hospital.

She slowly contorted her face and attempted to make a smirk, but all she managed was a toothy snarl that just appeared awkward to her and a few people wondered what she was up to. She huffed and attempted again this time she had all her teeth exposed and gritted together. She grunted and took off back home and was determined to at least prove herself correct in one of her problems.

* * *

*Naruto's apartment*

*knock knock*

Naruto opened his eyes sluggishly and rotated to check his clock to be disappointed by a time of 9:45, so his grand total of sleep was thirty minutes. He didn't want to get up, yet the rate of the knocking increased and he wondered who it was. Sakura would normally bash the door in, Jiraiya would just use the window like Kakashi, and anyone else knew where his hidden key was.

"I'm …cooooming," he partly yawned out as he made his way to the door.

He unlocked the safety bolt and opened the door to see a familiar pale eyed girl on his doorstep.

"Hinata," he half questioned, since said female usually never dropped by to speak with him.

"Naruto-kun," she began and came to a stop when she blushed and noted she had run all the way here still in his jacket.

He blinked a series of times and as his vision cleared he noticed the item. Naruto took a second and thought about why Hinata had his coat when he had kept it in his bag. He felt his throat nearly seal shut when he recalled they had slept in the same room and he left his bag in there.

Sweat coated the back of his neck as he prayed she hadn't figured it out. The nervousness failed to subside as he saw she kept her face downward.

"_Aw crap, she figured it out and is too ashamed to look at me,_" he thought with a small twinge that seemed to hurt more than usual.

"Um well," he struggled out.

Hinata rubbed her index fingers together and as she attempted to burn a hole in the floor with her vision. She knew that she had an objective to complete, but she was far too embarrassed to ask him, "Oh, Naruto-kun, I am missing my bra do you have it?"

She tapped her fingers faster as they just stood there deafened by silence.

Hinata took a moment and took a deep breath to galvanize her tenacity.

"I…I think you…may have some of my…clothing," she said her face downward to save him the sight of her tomato red cheeks.

Naruto scratched his head and partly laughed, due to the fact that he hadn't noticed anything out of the usual.

"Well I placed all my things on the couch so feel free," he said and turned away as he felt his cheeks heat up from the nature of things.

Hinata cautiously entered and noticed how unclean the place was.

"_Naruto-kun, I'm sorry that you have to live in such a mess,_" she thought and immediately spotted the article that she had come to collect clear as day at the top of the pile of things.

She immediately took her bra and stuffed it under the coat to prevent another mishap. Hinata didn't know what to do or say, yet she was unsure what exactly to feel about this. The thought of Naruto in her private things both frightened and excited her. But, how did he feel about her in his things and also that he could have seen her intimate items.

Hinata's bra had just recently moved into the D range and she didn't know if Naruto was happy or disappointed by that. The uncertainty was caused by his infatuation with Sakura. Their body types were very different and she wondered if he despised her physical traits; her breasts in particular.

He didn't want to be there anymore than she did. His heart rate was through the roof and his thought that she figured it out didn't relieve his anxiety.

"I'm sorry," he said a bit shaky in his voice.

"I'm sorry, too," she replied and took the male off guard

Naruto felt clueless as to why she was sorry at the fact that he had been in her room that night.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," she began, but was stopped by Naruto.

"It's alright, I mean I didn't even see what you came to get. I'm so tired. So we can just pretend like this didn't happen," he said and gave her a small grin.

"_Naruto-kun, you are truly amazing,"_ she thought as she covered her mouth and smiled.

He had noticed how uncomfortable she was and wanted her to have peace of mind. Naruto maybe wasn't the most knowledgeable person, but when it came to others emotions he was nearly always right.

Hinata decided to take her leave and was glad that her fear was put to rest and she could feel happiness at the recent mission success. She left back out the door and stopped in her tracks.

"Naruto-kun, your Jacket. I…" she began to stutter when he once again amazed her.

"Just bring it back tomorrow. I have an extra."

"Thank you again, Naruto-kun," she said and coupled the action with a bow.

Naruto gave a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of his head with his right hand.

"Sure thing, feel free to drop by again," he replied as she closed the door behind her.

He dropped his shoulders and gave a quick phew at the knife he dodged. The blonde waited a second before he moved back to his bed.

"_Stupid jacket,_" Naruto grumbled as he put on his night cap and returned to his bed.

He couldn't return to his sleep immediately as he thought about what had happened so recently. Hinata hadn't put two and two together so that was great for him. But now he wondered what it was that had been left in his bag.

"_Hinata seemed so uneasy about what I had of hers, I don't get why she told me sorry. Maybe she was worried I already saw some of her clothes, but she did seem ashamed that she had my jacket," _Naruto queried and couldn't find anyplace that was comfortable enough for him to rest.

"Why did you blush so much about that, Hinata," he asked and focused on the ceiling.

Hinata walked carefully as she kept the item in the coat near the front and determined the best thing to do. She had squeaked at the invitation to return to Naruto's home, but she was unsure if he wanted her to visit or if it was just a friendly gesture. She decided not to think anymore on it and stopped at the bottom of the stairs that lead up to his door.

"_I should return with this on, otherwise it may seem suspicious_," she assured herself and retracted her arms into the coat and started to work on the reapplication of her intimate wear.

She struggled against the confined space to work, yet she managed with the extra space and reconnected her bra straps.

She gave a sigh of relief and began her leisure walk back to the compound.

* * *

It had been a good day for him so far. The bathhouse had provided him with plenty of new material for his story and as a plus he made it through with no one the wiser. He had also gotten a return letter from his editor and printer and they were amazed by the artwork for the manga depiction of his written series. They were so impressed that an advance payment was delivered to him to get his artist to finish the next two books.

Jiraiya had seen a majority of that money come and go as he, the night before, decided to visit the Rising Sun Cathouse for some relaxation and entertainment. Besides, as far as he was concerned the money did technically go to Taro in some way.

"_Naruto needs to become stronger to defend himself against Akatsuki. I think it's time that I teach him how to manipulate his chakra affinity."_

He jumped down from his perch on the roof and landed across the street from his destination. The white haired male grumbled a bit because he usually forgot the location of Naruto's apartment.

"_Hope I'm not getting senile," _he thought and when he saw a Hyuuga female exit through Naruto's door he immediately hid in some nearby bushes to perform some protective surveillance on his apprentice.

The male viewed the scene with great interest as Hinata bowed and took her leave with a red tinge on her features. Jiraiya wasn't one to jump to a conclusion, since he was a spy master and knew things weren't always as they appeared. He noted the item that Hinata wore and the fact her hair appeared a bit unruly.

"They probably just returned from a mission," he whispered and was about to come out of his covert location when he saw a movement he was quite familiar with.

He watched the girl struggle to reapply something to her upper body and felt a perverted smile cross his face when she finished and walked off.

Jiraiya was no stranger to one night stands. In his life had done such an activity many times and most of them he didn't need to pay for. He cackled perversely and felt himself smile in admiration for his apprentice.

"_I guess all students start to emulate their masters,_" he laughed and felt an abundance of joy, thinking that Naruto had finally started to grow up.

"_Kid finally went and landed himself a Hyuuga. Didn't think he'd ever figure it out with how shy that one was," _he laughed as he walked in the other direction.

"_He wouldn't be able to focus on training after that kind of activity, but it's going to be hell when he has to deal with Hiashi. Especially with a stupid move like her in his clothes," _he laughed as he pulled out a small green notebook and started away in it.

He had figured out the perfect storyline for his next work. A young soldier becomes the object of affection of a princess, but her father finds out when he notices a specific feather only one of his guards carries. He orders the man be hunted down and executed. Yet, he returns and kidnaps the princess who wishes to be taken away. Jiraiya only hoped that Naruto would end up like the male in his story and survive the ordeal.

* * *

Kurenai Yuhi had been rejected for a third time by Kotetsu at the Hokage tower and told that she couldn't see Tsunade due to a back-up of paperwork. She had offered to help in the work load, but only the Hokage and personal assistant were allowed to see certain fragile documents. So that had fallen through and she was still no where closer to her goal.

The day before she had sought an audience with Hiashi himself; yet even though she was his child's sensei, she was nearly last on his list of people he would meet with. She couldn't think of what else to do and had decided to tend to her flowers, since that would occupy her mind. She needed help and there wasn't anyone who seemed to help her…except.

"_Kami-sama, if you can hear me please help me to find out who is it that is the father of my student's child," _she prayed still sure that Hinata was in the early stages of pregnancy.

She nearly gasped as she looked down from her window and spotted someone who appeared like Hinata. This female though was in an orange and black coat, but there was only one ninja who wore those colors and it was Naruto.

She looked with greater intensity and confirmed it was her student and it was Naruto's jacket she was in. Kurenai bit her lip and noted the deep blush on the girls face. It all made so much sense now. Hinata was a shy female and knew that she was very secretive about things. By her best guess she probably had opened up to her crush and one thing definitely could lead to another when you were infatuated.

She knew this to be true, since her and Asuma hadn't really been close for that long before things escalated. However, she didn't figure Hinata would go that far so quickly. She was a strong female with set morals and wouldn't do something like that before a commitment was made. Naruto, on the other hand, she wasn't so sure of. It was hard for the male to be seen in a good light with the taint that his two senseis gave off.

They were both ridiculous males. One of them would read porn while he did everything, while the other had become such a nuisance at the bathhouse there was rumor of a shut down.

She took a moment to settle herself and figured it would be far too much of an embarrassment to confront her student. So she would just need to ask Naruto about his intentions tomorrow then. She grumbled over the decision she made, therefore she decided to go to the local flower shops. It was bound to be a long night and she needed something to occupy her brain with.

* * *

*Hyuuga compound*

She couldn't help the smile on her face. She looked as if she was possessed by an unimaginable joy that permeated her from head to toe. The constant worry of the mission, her secret, Sakura, and her time alone with Naruto-kun had frayed her nerves. However, the small joy that a single article of cloth brought her was beyond reason as to how or why.

"_Thank you so much, Naruto-kun," _she thought and so hoped that he heard her thoughts

She wasn't sure of it, yet she felt that the discovery of her disorder/disease was the best thing that happened to her in a long time. Her involvement with Naruto had become more personal over the past few days and she never thought she would be in his clothes. Although, she didn't like the fact he had to nearly see her bra for her to get such a privilege.

Nevertheless, she was truly happy and felt like her smile had been engraved on her face.

*knock knock*

"Nee-chan," resounded through the door with no endearment behind it at all.

Hinata got up from her bed still in a daze at how wonderful and happy she felt. She opened the door and greeted her younger sibling with a smile.

"Hello, Hanabi," she said a smile on throughout.

"I challenge you to a fight before the clan elders within the month," Hanabi said and waited with anticipation to see her older sister shy away and plead for a way out of the inevitable embarrassment of her defeat.

The reaction she got was far from what she assumed it would be as Hinata only continued to smile at her and showed no sign of worry.

"Okay, I accept…good night," she responded and closed the door behind her as she lay back down, lost in bliss.

Hanabi felt her mouth go dry and had to try her hardest to prevent her cough reflex. What had just occurred? Why didn't Hinata freak out at her challenge?

"_What is going on,"_ she thought and walked down and around the hall to her room. She entered into a near empty room. It had a bed, a nightstand, desk, bathroom with shower, and a closet. The room was plain white and showed little sign of any personal affects.

Hanabi walked to the bathroom and started her routine for bed as she brushed her teeth with flavorless toothpaste. She felt aggravated and when she looked in the mirror and couldn't see it on her facial features it only annoyed her even more. Hanabi examined her face and spit out the fluoride paste in the sink and tried again.

"_Why doesn't this look right," _she wondered why it looked nothing like Hinata's smile she saw. Her sister's smile appeared so natural and well practiced, but that made little sense to her when they grew up in the same environment. The only difference was that she got to know their mother for a few years and had teammates that looked after her.

Although she had never seen that much confidence and lack of care in her siblings face before. She didn't know what it was that made her seem that way, yet it wouldn't matter when the fight occurred and she wiped that carefree face off.

She grunted and decided to give up on the stupid facial expression as she rinsed out her mouth and went to her bed. She gritted her teeth and couldn't find sleep regardless of what position she maneuvered to.

"_Maybe I should study,"_ she decided and from the night stand removed a small scroll that contained the numerous skills of the Hyuuga clan. It was about to be a long night.

* * *

She blinked a series of times dazed by the amount of hours that had passed by. The exact time of day wasn't really important to her, since there was no sun out she guessed it was either very early or late. She pushed some of her stray pink locks behind her right ear and pulled herself out of bed.

"No you can't make us leave," inner Sakura shouted as she braced the bed posts in a death grip.

Sakura stumbled her way to the shower and gave herself a quick rinse and scrub down to remove the frustration that was caked all over her. She felt relaxed by the luxury of warm water and the scent of her pear and cucumber soap.

"_I am sure this is, in some way, the best guilty pleasure I have," _she thought, but then realized it wasn't the best one.

Sakura finished her rub down and felt rejuvenated by the warmth. She dried herself with a red towel and made sure to pop some of the out of place bones back in before she complained to her sensei.

She grabbed some clean casual clothes that consisted of a pair of pink shorts and another one of her dark red tops.

"_Alright, it's time to go rip Taro a new one," _she assured herself and took off to the Hokage's office.

* * *

*Hokage's office at midnight*

Taro sat patiently in one of the two seats inside of the office and didn't appear phased by the situation he was stuck in. His assistant Miki was the complete opposite. She was so nervous he wondered if she would have a heart attack before they even heard what had transpired.

Tsunade looked them both over and sighed at how this had happened. It was a disaster and a miracle at the same time. She cleared her throat and watched them both stand and prepare themselves for what was to come.

"I need both of your accounts within the village," she stated and made them widen their eyeballs in confusion.

Tsunade knew she had to keep this quiet as best she could. If word got out there was no way for her to estimate the amount of emotional damage this would do to Sakura. She didn't want to imagine how bad it would be for Naruto.

"I'm confused, why would you need our accounts unless were about to be fined or our money restricted," Taro asked perplexed she should have had his account information, since he was technically a ninja. But, why she needed Miki's was well beyond him.

"What I am about to tell you is an S-ranked secret and will not leave this room, otherwise I will have you killed understood," she asked and received confused and scared nod.

"The medicine that you created did find its way to both the ninja that requested it. An Anbu and a Genin received the ordered items. Both messages were forged and belonged to missing nin. The ones who received the items were Itachi Uchiha…and Sasuke Uchiha," she stopped to let the information set it.

Taro couldn't help it as he started to laugh at the fortune that befell them. He had figured he might have lost his job, but now Miki's screw up had landed them both into fame and wealth. He honestly couldn't care much about renown; however the economical compensation would be greatly appreciated.

"Itachi and Sasuke, based on Yamato's report, had been in battle prior to their arrival at an old Uchiha fort set-up at the time of the last war. Itachi, based on the preliminary examination, had gotten a high dosage of the poison and low amounts of the coil dilator. Sasuke has yet to expire, but the chemicals have already done their part. His body was so badly damaged in the battle with his brother that he exhausted himself. He is unable to produce the energy he requires to heal and is only alive due to the machinery we have here in the village," she ended and Taro raised an eyebrow at this.

"I take it the council elders have already heard of this and wish to have his 'sample' saved to keep the blood line in the village."

"The information I have given you hasn't reached the council as of yet. I wanted to inform you in case of any possible backlash from this."

"Hokage-sama," he responded to let her know that he was serious and had a plan set up.

"My clan hasn't existed for many years, but the fourth did designate us as overseers for clan medical treatments and preservation. I would like you to have that information in case the council decides to over extend their power," he put bluntly due to his knowledge of how underhanded Danzo could be.

"I'll keep that in mind, Taro; but I am hereby required to pay both of you half the reward for the elimination of one of Konoha's bingo book nins. The sum is two and a half million ryu each."

Miki's mind stopped to function as she tried to imagine the things she could do with that much money, since it was nearly forty times what she made in a year. Taro seemed not at all phased by the money now. He was more concerned about future matters should the council keep the bloodline in the village.

"What of Itachi Uchiha. Were parts of his body gathered and preserved for possible usage," he further pried.

"A pair of eyes was collected at the site of the battle; however the damage done by the physical trauma may have rendered them useless."

"What will the council be doing about Sasuke's eyes…there may yet be a way to save his life."

"Taro, the village charter is quite clear about missing nin. And even if he is an Uchiha, he will die when he's taken off the life support."

"Alright, but all that aside why can't we speak of this incident?"

The tension in the air grew thick and neither noticed someone open up the door and start to enter.

"Do you have any idea what Sakura would do to you if she knew that you were responsible for the death of the last two Uchiha," she said and the room went silent and slowly filled with a murderous rage.

Taro turned his head and noted Sakura Haruno in the doorway to the Kage's office. He figured the room was soundproof, but that was only so long as the door remained closed. What he noticed next was the tears that started to form in her eyes and the speed that she moved with next. She went at Taro with murder frenzy in her eyes. She swung and nearly hit Miki who was thankfully saved when Taro kicked her chair out from under her and saved himself as the push slid him back across the floor.

Sakura couldn't think or hear. All she heard resound in her mind was that Taro, the infection in her life that refused to be cured, now went and took any chance she and Naruto had to get their friend back.

Her next punch missed as Taro jumped and grabbed the light fixture on the ceiling. She was restrained by Tsunade who managed to get her in a hold from behind. She struggled with all her might against her Sensei's arms, but to no avail. Taro took a second to relax and return to the floor in front of the two. It proved a costly mistake when Sakura's right leg swung around and contacted his left thigh. Time stood still for Taro as he felt his bone break and the force flipped him off his feet and onto his back.

"Fuck," he shouted at the top of his lungs so loud that he was sure that the entire village would wake up.

"You heartless bastard," Sakura shouted right after him and tried desperately to get loose and finish the job. She didn't care if she killed him she just wanted the pain to stop.

He lied on his back unable to move, he felt his heart rate increase and his blood and bone marrow start to seep into places they weren't meant to.

"_This is how I die, leg shattered by Haruno Sakura…always figured Anko would poison me the morning after,"_ he thought and laughed in spite of the cold that invaded his body. His vision blurred, and he felt the urge to sleep pull at him as he shut both his eyes.

Tsunade decided to stop this and with a precise blow to Sakura's head knocked her out. She was immediately at Taro's side and noticed how swollen his leg had gotten in such little time.

The room seemed to suddenly fill as Anbu and combat medics reported to the sound of agony.

"Restrain Sakura Haruno here until I return, have all emergency medical personnel meet at the hospital and have seven bags of O negative blood on hand."

Miki recovered from her shock and was at Taro's side in a vain attempt to help him. He groaned in agony as a nin with a hawk mask injected a cocktail of painkiller and coagulants into his arm. She noticed Taro make a come hither motion with his hand.

Tsunade put her ear toward his mouth as he laughed and suddenly went limp as the group carried him to the hospital.

Miki was surprised when Tsunade remained and looked at her with a bit of anger in her eyes.

"He said you're fired," she stated and vanished in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

*Konoha Hospital 6am*

Tsunade had seen her share of blood in her life, but that operation had brought her back to the visions of the last ninja war. There had been just far too much blood everywhere it wasn't meant to be. The kick Sakura landed had done more damage then she imagined, since Taro's entire femur had broken into four pieces.

She took off her gloves and had viewed the situation from the other side of the observation window. It had been some type of dumb luck Taro had. The bone fragments hadn't, by the blessed hand of kami, pierced any of his major arteries or veins. However, the sheer amount of blood loss he had suffered just about killed him.

Five separate packets of O negative blood had gone into his veins and about four of them he bled straight out. She was just happy that the idiot had been smart enough to get his weekly plasma infusions to lower his bleed out chances. The procedure would've gone better too if his body hadn't gotten spasms from the painkiller mix. It seemed each time they needed him to be still he would jerk and make them screw up. She wondered if his subconscious was why he was an asshole all the time, since he still managed to make everyone miserable even when unconscious.

She dipped her hands under the hot water of the sink and got the crusted bits of blood off her robe. There were other worse matters that hung on her mind. The bone had been shattered quite effectively and the damage could be permanent. Taro was on inactive duty yes, but to lose his ninja status would only cause a monumental problem.

Konoha, like all ninja villages, was very protective of their secrets and that included the bloodlines of their clans. It was written into the village charter that if any clan had fifty or less members civilian or active ninja then that clan would be put into restoration. This meant that all male ninja and civilians who could mold chakra were encouraged to produce offspring. This was usually encouraged with polygamy and that was usually motivation enough to get the population back up. There was even economic compensation for those males with morals about more than one wife.

However, there were a few loopholes in the law. If a clan member were the sole survivor left of their bloodline it meant they would be isolated to the village and told to produce an heir or many. The loophole was that if the person had ninja status in the village they were entitled to their clan's funds, property, and privileges. But, if the person were a civilian member they wouldn't be entitled to such.

Tsunade gritted her teeth and knew what issues this would stir up. Taro would be restricted from council meetings, his rights to deal with offenders against him would be gone, and he wouldn't be allowed to refuse requests from the Hokage and council.

Tsunade looked down over the operation and was glad to see that his heart rate had stabilized, but due to the substantial blood loss they would need to wait several hours before it became safe to sedate him.

"_Sakura, what the hell were you thinking,_" she thought as she observed Taro slowly take in another breath of air from his mask.

She was sure now that with the Uchiha nearly lost the council would be in no mood to know that one of their own ninja had tried to kill another clan. Sakura had let her emotions get the best of her and she could more than likely pay for it with her life. She squeezed her lip in her teeth and tried hard to figure out a way to save her apprentice.

"_What the hell could I do to protect her,_" she thought and examined Taro once more.

She didn't have any clear ideas and the ones she did have were impossible odds. She could ask the council to show mercy and, worse case, Sakura would probably be imprisoned for the rest of her life. She could smuggle her out of the village, but she would be a missing nin and be terminated on sight. The last option was to lie and say she herself did it; however with Miki she had no doubt the female could be swayed to give her testimony against that.

"_I hate gambling when there isn't any chance I can win_," Tsunade grumbled and felt the vein in her forehead start to pulsate in anger. She breathed in deeply and kept her mind focused. She knew that a clam mind always prevailed over one clouded in anger and worry. She took a minute and finally came up with her idea. But, it was also a large risk. If she messed up she would be the one executed. Although, she knew there wasn't any other clear choice to make.

"Tsunade-sama, Taro will be prepared for further treatment once we get another pint of blood into him," Shizune said as she entered in and started to take off the soiled gloves and mask she had on.

Tsunade steadied her resolve and gave her assistant a look that she knew all too well.

"Have Taro heavily sedated and moved to the secure wing of the hospital until further notice."


	9. Adverse affects

AN: First I would like to give a special thanks to Champion of Justice, Okazaki323, Leaf Ranger, and Chewie Cookies. I went back through my reviews and noticed that all of you have not only read, but wrote reviews that encouraged and inspired my creative spirit. I want to thank my other readers and reviewers as well for their time, but I just felt it was right to thank the people who have reviewed the most. Second I am going to write a chapter for my other work unless this story proves to have far more people wanting to see where it goes.

With all that said and done enjoy this chapter and thanks once again.

* * *

She cleared her throat and prepared for the incident that was about to occur. She was in her formal robe and knew that many of the clan members would be irritable at the early hour of the meeting. Her body was covered in a layer of cold sweat that didn't help to alleviate her worry. Although she had tried before to ease the tension, the Sake hadn't adequately done its job to soothe her nerves.

"_Don't worry. Taro is sedated and it will be easy enough to prolong judgment on Sakura until he is conscious to do so himself_," she assured herself as she entered into the hall.

The council had long met in this special hideaway that was located inside of the Hokage Monument. It took a special passage from two separate areas to gain entry and it was a close secret that passed from leader to leader.

Tsunade made her entrance and came to her seat at the opposite end of the hall to the elders. It was a true symbolic thing to her as the council elders sat on the complete opposite side to her and the many clan members amassed to her left and right in numerous rows that rose up to accommodate them.

"Let the record show that this is a council meeting that has been brought up due to a pressing issue. There is over half of the council gathered, therefore all votes on issues can and will be enforced as law. The date is September the third and the council of Konoha Village is now in session," Homura started as he dipped a quill in ink and began his notes.

There were three council elders Danzo, Homura, and Koharu. Each of them held a large sway in the council due to their experience over the years. Yet each of them maintained a lower position as a way to ensure that all things were taken care of. Homura served as a secondary scribe to take note of all things that he felt were important. Koharu was the historian and despite her age had a near encyclopedic knowledge of clan rights, laws, and the village charter stored away. Danzo himself actually served as a meeting planner and ensured that nothing was overlooked or left unattended.

"The first order of business is in regard to the missing Nin of the Uchiha clan. To those that weren't informed the Uchiha missing nin crisis has been brought to an end by the Masahiro clan," He removed the mission scroll and recounted the events that took place.

"**Yamato, Wasp, Crane, Sparrow, and Frost deployed. Uchiha clan members were located at 3am near the old Uchiha fortress at the border of Earth and fire country. The bodies of both Uchiha were found and tested with a diagnostic jutsu and they contained the same poison and chakra coil dilator. At the time Itachi Uchiha was found to have another chemical agent in his system. There has been no determination if this agent was administered to him and if it ultimately caused his demise. Sasuke Uchiha was found to be near death, but after he was returned it appears that the poison had done its damage and recovery isn't possible."**

He inhaled deeply and figured it was enough to make him appear passive on the issue at hand.

"That said the eyes of Itachi Uchiha and the still living body of Sasuke Uchiha have been obtained. The discussion will carry out as to what shall be done with said items," Danzo explained and retook his seat.

Tsunade watched many faces changed at the loss of a clan to the village and was thankful that none of the rookie nine had needed to be put on the council yet. She figured the fewer of them that knew the less damage control she would need to accomplish. It would take time for the information to spread and that would at least give her time to help the knucklehead.

"I believe the Uchiha eyes should be destroyed and a possible child be brought about by the harvesting of Sasuke," Koharu said and it had already began as many outwardly spoke of their anger.

"Finish what the third started and exterminate the last of them."

"Harvest him for his eyes and let's attempt a synthetic Sharingan."

"Have him rot in the village prison."

"_This is futile. No matter what occurs the council will agree to keep the bloodline and the Sharingan eye solely in the leaf village," _Tsunade grumbled and decided to draw this to a close.

"Our decisions are limited and we are left with one simple question: do we keep the Uchiha bloodline or end it," she asked and everyone took a moment to think on their vote.

The entire council waited in collected silence as Homura caught up and nodded to confirm he was prepared.

"Keep," he stated and watched the number of hands rise up.

There were a total of fifty clans in Konoha and all that was needed was half for a notion to carry. He watched patiently and counted as he made marks on the scroll of paper.

"Thirty-four the notion carries, The genetic material of Uchiha Sasuke will be extracted and kept under Anbu protection until said time that the council elders can decide on a proper female to bear a child."

Danzo looked at his list of items and took no little satisfaction in the next as he gave an almost predatory grin at the Hokage.

"The next issue regards Sakura Haruno and her attempted murder against clan member Taro Masahiro. At this time a vote has been called to decide the fate of said ninja."

Tsunade bit her lip and decided it was time to play her card and try to save Sakura.

"At this time a decision on this matter can be postponed as Taro Masahiro is in recovery at the hospital. Due to clan rights on this matter Masahiro is the one who maintains the right on what is to be done with Sakura Haruno for transgressions against him."

"Hokage-sama, I fail to see how you can be indifferent on this subject as it is your apprentice who is on trial for the attempted murder. I wonder would you show such care if it were someone else," he asked and watched the dagger set into her.

"Konoha was built on the foundation of clan laws. I wouldn't be able to call myself Hokage if I didn't uphold these rights provided by my great-grandfather. Taro is the only one who can decide what will be done to Sakura."

"Hokage-sama, when those rules were written it was stated that clans did decide how to deal with those that have attacked them. However, it is not safe to allow such a person who would attack their own comrades to be loose. Sakura Haruno may again attempt to take said members life. Therefore, as the council we must make this decision for Masahiro due to his incapacitation," Koharu added and watched Tsunade shrink before her as she had done before when she lost a large sum at a casino table.

"I call a vote to decide Sakura Haruno's fate. I call for the death of this would be assassin."

"Hold on," came a shout from an unknown female voice as she entered behind Tsunade.

It was a red haired female in a tight black and red obi. She walked in with a pair of documents in her arms and a rather haggard look.

"Council of Konoha I am here to…"

"Remove her from this council chamber. Those without a clan heritage have no place here."

Mist's eyebrow appeared to twitch as she had enough to push her over the edge for one day.

"That doesn't mean much from a clan less one eyed cripple," she yelled and made Danzo open his one eye at the nerve she had.

"I have a right to be here as you will observe," she unrolled a scroll before the Hokage and waited for her to finish with it.

Tsunade felt her heart skip a beat. It was a miracle of some sort, but it also felt like some kind of curse. There was on the bottom the clan seal of Masahiro and three little words.

"You Owe Me."

Mist unrolled another scroll and began to read.

"As stated by clan rights, if the sole survivor is unable to be at a council meeting s/he may choose another to represent him or her be that decision based on bloodline or close relationship," she spoke and waited for Koharu to nod her head in agreement.

Mist cleared her throat and began to read the letter that Taro had written for her.

"I Taro Masahiro have decided by my right as clan leader the life of Sakura Haruno now belongs to my clan. I have yet to determine what manner she may serve the clan, but she is hereby my property and no harm shall befall her," she ended and brought the item over to Danzo and held it out so he could make sure it was official.

Danzo wanted to question the validity of the item, but the seal on the bottom was perfect and it even had the hand drawn extra in the corner of the seal that only clan elders knew about.

* * *

*four hours earlier*

He felt like he had been in a fight against twenty anbu and each of them got six free shots on his back. His whole body felt like his very heartbeat caused pain to radiate throughout. He steadied the pace that he took in his air and it felt like he could afford to keep to shallow breathes as they seemed to strain his back less.

"_What happened to me again,"_ he wondered as the events of the past day came back to him.

From the best he could remember he had met with the Hokage and then he ended up here after she asked how Sakura would respond to the death of the last Uchihas. It all just seemed to blur from there and it didn't seem to be clarified at all. The pressure in his head made it feel like it had shrunk down a few sizes as the task of thought seemed so arduous now.

He opened both his eyes and noticed the white ceiling and taupe colored walls of the hospital room. Taro had to take a moment not to panic as he wondered if certain things had been removed from him while he slept. He tried to push himself up and noticed his leg now suspended in a cast that was tied to a suspension device made of metal and wire.

"_That's new," _he thought and pulled himself up despite the soreness that coated his backside.

He tried to find his assist switch to get some help and turn up his painkiller. He reached around and found the help button had been removed. He also noticed his IV drip with his morphine was absent as well. He grumbled as he turned to see if someone was around to monitor him and not to any surprise there wasn't a soul.

"Nurse," he shouted and received no response as he turned and noticed a shot on his tray.

He checked the syringe and noticed the clear liquid filled up to the five cc mark. He didn't know what had happened, but right now he figured that he was more a prisoner than a patient at the moment.

"_I need to think up a plan," _Taro thought as he closed his eyes and attempted to concentrate even with the pain that pounded in his leg and spine.

He gave an evil smirk as a sudden thought rushed to his mind.

A brown haired female sat outside of the room at the operation desk. She was the one that had the endless excitement of caretaker should anyone's heart decide to stop. A loud beep made her aware of the havoc that someone was about to die. She sprang from her seat and nearly crashed into a door as her feet had fallen asleep due to the prolonged hours she spent in a chair.

She unlocked the door and checked inside to see a black haired male with his leg up and his head turned as if he had passed on. She sighed and rushed up to check his vitals, since their absence would be the only reason she would attempt resuscitation on the male. She checked and to her relief his heart still worked.

She looked around and saw the wire had broken free from his left arm. She sighed at the lack of luck she had and leaned over the male to reattach the cord. She bent over him and grabbed his left arm, although a sudden prick on her rear end made her aware that she had been tricked.

She looked at Taro and noticed a sly smile as the world for her started to go black.

"Bastaaaa" she trailed off as she slumped forward and ended on top of him. He gagged when her weight came down on his leg. Taro managed to plug the tampered cord into his heart monitor to avoid further detection and see the trauma he did to it with the increased pain.

"_Nothing can stop me now,"_ he thought and struggled with the mechanical suspender and got his leg loose. It was all part of the plan. He removed all the tubes that restricted him, which seemed so much greater in number now. Stage one was about to be finished as he tugged with all his strength and plopped the female in his place and hooked her to the heart monitor.

He managed to balance himself against his bed and found a visitor chair nearby to assist him. It felt like he had planned perfectly, yet a hard tug on his groin said otherwise as his catheter made itself known.

He grimaced with a look of excruciation engraved on his face. He yelled with all his strength, yet managed to restrain his vocal cords so only air escaped.

"_W__hoever did this to me is going to suffer," _he confirmed to himself and with practiced skill removed the catheter.

He felt, for lack of a better word, abused. He worked his way to the door and felt like he was about to pass out with each moment of exertion he put into movement. The door to his room slowly opened and there stood an angel of mercy as he recognized the red haired female before him.

"Mist," he gasped and hugged on to her, his face against her stomach.

Mist raised an eyebrow at the sudden sign of affection to herself. She didn't mind it too much, since she was pretty much the only constant thing in Taro's life.

"Exactly how sick are you," she asked, concerned he was about to die, and decided to play nice for once.

"Talk later, escape now," he explained and tried to go further only to have her hold him in place.

"Usually you don't try to escape the hospital," she reasoned with him now worried he had gone mad.

"Trust me. I refuse to die here. Mainly because I don't think the angels come around here very often," he exclaimed and noted a wheel chair and with mist's help got into the item.

"I couldn't imagine that Sakura would finally try and kill you, but that would be enough of a shock for anyone to survive."

"Sakura," he said and felt the past memories of pain and agony come back in one moment. It was quite traumatic in it made him hack and groan.

Mist decided to play her role as an accessory to the crime and covered him with some blankets that were in a nearby shelf.

Taro managed to get his pain under control and came to a sudden realization of how long he had been in the hospital. That and Mist's presence at the hospital to look for him made him think he had been missing for a week or so.

"What day is it? And how did you know where I was," he questioned as he laid back and shivered to get warm under the many layers of cloth.

"A little bug told me," she said and pushed him about the halls until she managed to get him into his office.

He took a few minutes to stop the shakes that racked his body, but eventually regained control.

"Shibi," he questioned confused as to how he had information on the situation.

"It's Friday and you two usually meet for a few drinks at the Gold Star bar. He sent some of his bugs to find you when you didn't show up and alerted me when he noticed that you were in the hospital," she explained to him as best she could.

"_Shibi, when I get out of here I am going to buy you so many drinks and maybe a new bug for your collection,"_ he thought and started to take a moment to assess the entirety of the situation.

If the last of a clan died off there would be an emergency council meeting to decide the fate of the person who killed them. That meant he needed to be present to make his decision, but then why had he been denied his painkiller? He figured that probably had to do with how little blood he had left, since he knew the wound made even normal people lose a large quantity of blood.

He closed his eyes tight and seemed to almost meditate on the situation and soon all the pieces fell together in his mind. Tsunade had probably wanted a nurse to sedate him once he was able to survive an injection of a foreign material. However, she and her assistant had to go to the council meeting. This meant he was schedule to be drugged by a nurse who didn't take the job seriously and probably wanted him to suffer.

"_Alright, I need to play this smart from here in the hospital…what can I do?_" he continued on in silence

Mist didn't want to interrupt him as she figured he would get aggravated if she did and she guessed it was probably best to keep his blood pressure down. Taro opened his eyes and with his evil smile looked at Mist.

"I need you to take something to the council meeting," he began and flinched as he leaned and felt a stab of pain rocket from his leg to his brain.

"But first could you take this prescription to the pharmacy," he whimpered and gave his most pathetic pale expression.

* * *

*council meeting*

Danzo gritted his teeth and let his jaw go slack when he figured there were other ways that he could get at Tsunade. However, he wouldn't just allow Taro to get away with such a well placed intrusion.

"The request of the Masahiro clan will be upheld in regards to Sakura Haruno," he grumbled and moved to the next time on his agenda.

"Taro Masahiro has suffered a substantial wound to his leg. What are his chances to fully recover and be able to perform basic ninja tasks," he asked Tsunade directly for her medical opinion.

Tsunade sighed and knew she had to be honest about this. Taro had suffered an injury that many in the field wouldn't survive. But, now that she had done the surgery there was still a problem that the bone may not mend back properly.

"I performed the surgery to the extent of my abilities and still there is a chance that the procedure may have failed."

"What are his chances?"

"Fifty percent."

The room went silent as many members shared looks of concern and many felt sympathy for the injured male. Danzo decide to cut the silence with his voice and make his move.

"Clans of Konoha while it is indeed a sorrowful time for us to lose another ninja, we must remain vigilant and remove Masahiro's status as a ninja of this village," he stated and noted how many heads nodded in approval of his proposal.

Tsunade dug her nails into the arms of her chair and wanted so badly to stop this move. Danzo was a crafty bastard when he wanted to be and he so far had played his hand rather well.

"_I need to find a way to get support, but who in here would want to help Taro,"_ she wondered as she swept her field of vision along both walls and noted no one of real note.

"The notion that you have provided doesn't prove logical Danzo."

All eyes turned and noted the figure of a standing Shibi Aburame. Tsunade wasn't sure where this was headed, but if she allowed it to play out it could be beneficial.

"Masahiro has suffered an injury yes, but if Konoha were to demote ninja when harmed befell them what benefit would a village without ninja be. Until Taro is able to regenerate his lost capabilities it would be premature to remove an experienced ninja," he stated as he looked about the room and analyzed each clan member. Many of them nodded their heads and did respect the insight on the situation.

Homura stopped the movement of his writing utensil and called a vote on the matter.

"For," he asked and watched as not a single hand came up

"The notion doesn't carry and the decision of Taro Masahiro's status in this village will be decided at a later time," Homura added as he reached for more ink

Danzo decided to swallow his utter defeat. He gathered his planner and noticed there was nothing else to be discussed. He placed his hand on Homura's shoulder, which signaled to the male that the council no longer had any matters to dispute.

"Clan members and Hokage-sama, the meeting of the council of Konoha is adjured," he echoed and signed his signature at the end of the document along with Koharu's and Danzo's after him.

The numerous members of the council vacated the area and the air about them seemed to thin and lighten. Tsunade felt like she had observed a miracle that Taro didn't ask Sakura to be stripped nude and parade through the village to a public execution.

"_He could've done so many things. Made Sakura go to prison, publicly apologize, yet he just asked that his property be kept safe,"_ she wondered what that could mean and dreaded it too.

Nevertheless, she was happy that her student wasn't to be killed. The matter of the defector teammate wasn't properly attended too. Sasuke was to be killed once he was harvested of his genetic legacy. There wouldn't be any hope that she could pardon him as the decision of the council was diplomatic and all missing nin were exterminated to protect the village's secrets and other ninja should they try and escape again.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," she whispered and decided it was best to return to the Hokage mansion and get some rest.

* * *

*Below the Council room*

It was a room that was rarely used and was evident by the stale scent in the air as one entered. There was a single source of light that came from a small light bulb suspended by a thread of electrical wire. It was shaped like the council chamber in the form of an oval and in the center lay the golden goose at it was.

Sasuke Uchiha had seen better days, since he wasn't conscious and the machines around him were the only thing that kept him anchored to life.

Danzo entered along with Shizune who didn't seem too happy to be near the man, but with Yamato beside her she felt more at ease. Shizune had wished that Tsunade would be the one to do this procedure, yet the council elders had decided that she wasn't attached to Sakura and Sasuke so she was less likely to have an issue.

Yamato had demanded to come along, because he didn't trust Danzo alone with one of the most powerful dojutsus known to the village. He eased his grip as he held a medical bag with all the glass containers to do the job.

"I will be here to observe the process and ensure no trickery takes place. Begin," Danzo said and for once had his uncovered eye open.

Shizune gave a shiver at the man's voice and decided to begin. She was glad that the male had already been stripped bare and she began the extract semen from his lower region with a chakra scalpel jutsu.

She worked efficiently and finished within half an hour. The fruits of her labor were two Sharingan Uchiha eyes and thirty milliliters of genetic legacy.

Danzo extended his hand and expected all the items to be handed over to him, but that wasn't the case as Yamato kept the materials safely inside the case they brought.

"The Masahiro clan was designated keepers of medical matters of dying clans and that includes these Uchiha eyes. They will be kept in their clan safe until a time a decision is made on a viable recipient," she stated and noted that Yamato stepped between them just in case.

Danzo knew he wasn't about to get his hands on those eyes, since they were practically impossible for him to take. But, he was a patient man and figured the easiest way to solve the problem was to wait until a recipient was chosen to carry the Uchiha bloodline. That and he figured why settle for two eyes when he could have an unlimited supply of them.

"I am sure the Masahiro clan will take great care in the safety of these materials, would you like to do the honors," he inquired to the male that was kept alive on the table.

Neither of the two responded and made the older male consider that their denial. He moved around the table so that he was at the right side of the Sasuke.

"Where is the curse seal," he questioned and touched the unconscious males neck with his finger.

All eyes turned to Sasuke and brought about a sudden change of plans for the elder council member.

"If the curse seal has been removed then it wouldn't be dangerous to have his mind examined to see if any information about Orochimaru could be revealed," he explained and left the room

"I will have the Anbu take the body," he left without another word.

It confused the pair as to why Sasuke wasn't executed, although currently with all the strange things that had occurred they weren't too surprised by much now.

* * *

Naruto rotated again and found it impossible to locate a comfortable position. He didn't know what it was, but he hadn't been able to sleep well. He tried to think about what could be reason for his nocturnal problems, but he really just figured it had been a combination of exhaustion and worry from the mission.

"_I guess I should get up if I can't sleep any longer,"_ he thought and looked to see that it was half past noon already. He had slept about six hours away, which was definitely weird for him as he usually needed ten hours of sleep to deal with his fatigue.

The real oddity for him was that there wasn't a single thing that he dreamed about. He had no idea what it was, yet it felt like he had lost something. This was technically true with Hinata in his jacket so once it was returned to him he was sure he'd return to normal.

He decided to skip the shower and just throw on some clean clothes and he would be fine. Besides he didn't want to head out to train clean and have to return to clean himself all over again. He decided on another pair of black and orange pants, and just a black shirt as it was mid day so it was probably warm despite it about to enter the fall season.

He made it to the doorway when he felt his stomach growl at him with the want for food. He laughed partly and decided to drop by for some ramen before he went to a training ground.

It was a short walk for him as he approached Ichiraku and had to blink a few times when he spotted a sign on the front that he didn't recognize.

"**We apologize for the inconvenience, but many of the flavors we offer are currently unavailable due to a lack of necessary ingredients."**

Naruto felt his mind go blank as he walked in and noticed a lack of the many usual customers he would see when he stopped by. Ayame gave him a happy wave to see him.

"Hello Naruto, we don't have many flavors available so please don't order too much," she said even though it sounded more like an apology to their best customer.

"How can you be out of necessary ingredients? I was here only six hours ago."

"Naruto you were here yesterday. It's Wednesday you came back on a Tuesday morning," she explained and was a bit concerned about the lapse in his memory.

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut as he looked up as if he were able to search his head. He raised his hand and counted off how many days he had been away and now that he was back what that meant. A few moments later he realized he had slept and entire day and freaked out.

"I was asleep for an entire day? Why didn't someone wake me up," he demanded and slumped his head at the time he lost to eat and get stronger.

Ayame couldn't help herself as she stifled a laugh at the male.

"_Always with his mind on his training. When will he realize there are things more important than his ninja techniques," _she thought and decided to explain the situation.

"You probably don't know, but Ichiraku gets a lot of its ingredients from a trade caravan that runs from here to wave country. However, it was due here yesterday and it still hasn't arrived," she said with genuine dread of what could be the fate of the caravan.

"That shouldn't matter. I'm sure you can get the same things from the Konoha market," he sat down and expected a bowl of ramen to be placed in front of him.

He waited patiently and received no such thing and seemed almost heart broken by Ayame's disappointed face.

"Sorry Naruto, but the fish that we use in our mother sauce is only native to the wave country coast," she said and watched as Naruto got teary eyed.

"So what happens if the trade group doesn't reach here over the next few days," he asked

"We'll have to close down until our order comes in, which could take a few weeks."

Naruto felt his entire world come down and quickly realized that if Ichiraku closed down for a month he would probably starve to death. This was probably as close as this was about to come to an emergency in the village.

"Something needs to be done about this," he for once avoided his mandatory ramen dosage and made a B line to the Hokage's office to save his favorite place in Konoha.

* * *

*Konoha Hospital*

He felt like, for lack of a better word, shit. His leg throbbed no matter how much pain killer he tossed at it. That in combination with the isolation to the bed he had brought into his office were hard on his nerves. He wanted to get up and walk around and get to practice medicine. The lack of mental stimulation left him with nothing to do, but listen to his erratic thoughts.

"_Not really much to do,"_ he thought as he finished the last bit of hairs on a female sketch on a piece of writing paper.

He looked over at his desk and saw the tiny group of cards. It really irked him the fact that he could count the number of people that dropped by to see him on a single hand. Mist and Anzu had come by with well wishes from the other ladies from his business. The one that surprised him most was Hiashi had made an appearance to see him. Although he knew it was strictly a business call.

Shizune had arrived with Tsunade to check on his progress and thank him for his decision in regards to Sakura. That had just been an awkward conversation, which ended with him to take care of the Uchiha clan nut juice. The container for that problem was moved to a security vault in the basement of the hospital that he had access to.

Shizune had stayed behind and monitored for a bit and even made small talk with him. He didn't exactly get the female, but that wasn't his problem and hopefully wouldn't be once he was released from medical care.

"_Where the hell are my so called friends,"_ he pondered, yet he already knew the answer to his own question.

He knew Kakashi was so lazy that he probably hadn't ventured to the emergency council meeting. That meant the only way he would find out is when he visited the Hokage to receive a mission, which would be far off so he had about a week before he saw him.

Shibi at least had a reasonable excuse to not show. The man was the head of a large clan and had several matters to attend to, since he didn't have a clan council to manage things for him. That said the man had been smart enough to send a card, even though it was transported by a few bugs.

Anko he figured was off at some bar plastered for her own sake. She wasn't in the loop of clan issues so she would only know about him if someone at Anbu headquarters let slip his injury. However, Anbu never let secrets slip so she wouldn't find out unless she were interested enough to find out.

"Damn," he said as he crumbled up the paper and tossed it into the waste basket that had previous failures overflow from it already.

Taro reached over to his liquid pump and entered the security code to increase his dosage of morphine to its maximum and felt the relief wash over him. He knew it was a risk, but he figured if he died from an overdose at least it would be painless.

He rolled on his side to not face the door and watched the outside scenery in hopes of relief, yet it only made it more obvious how isolated he was. Outside he saw people walk out and many of them run and it felt like it was specifically to mock him. The aggravation boiled inside of him until the sound of his door made him refocus his attention.

"So Sakura finally tried to kill you," said a female voice he didn't expect to drop by at all.

"Tried and failed," he said already back to his normal sarcastic self.

"I came to see a friend and heard you had a little accident, at least that's the lie."

Taro felt his temporary good mood wilt when he heard: I came to see someone else.

Anko had been his friend since they were in the academy together. He just didn't understand how she managed to always make him feel insignificant.

"Well as you can see I'm fine so feel free to return to your friend," he spat and went back to another piece of art work.

"Nice to see that the injury hasn't affected your brain," she responded and leaned up against the door.

He kept quiet and continued to work despite her presence.

"So how bad is the leg," she asked with a bit of concern

"I may lose my ninja status if I can't walk within the end of the year," he said as he shoved his pencil through the paper.

"It's probably for the best. You weren't exactly an effective ninja when you were on duty."

"This from the person who put me on inactive duty."

"I saved your life," she said and crossed her arms

Taro hated to admit it, but the reason for his inactive duty was a complete accident. It had been the end of the war and his job had been to place traps around the border to prevent covert invasion. He was head of the operation as he was considered the best trap master in Fire country.

With the war ended he had to head back in a two man squad and disable all his lethal traps

The only downside was that not all the mercenaries and missing nin that Iwa hired to help knew the war had ended. The end result had been him captured and Anko there to save him. She had used a kunai tied with an explosive note, which injured him more than the whole captured endeavor.

"I recall and I need my rest so you can leave if you want," he yawned as he moved about to find someplace comfortable.

"I'm here to see you and by my guess you don't exactly have many friends to choose from."

"Alright let me rephrase that. The only reason you came was that I was on the way."

"I did stop by and now I regret it," she commented and opened the door

"Anko wait," Taro said and actually rotated to see her

She stopped against her better judgment and expected some apology, yet she seemed to forget that this was Taro.

"You should probably ask Kakashi to stop by if you didn't fuck his brain out yesterday," he gave her a disgruntled look and took no little joy when he saw her expression seem a bit shocked.

"How did," she asked a bit taken aback by his deduction.

"You lean more on things after you've night trained with him, that and you should look into a shampoo that can cover the scent of sex," he said and gave a shoo expression with his hand.

Anko felt the artery on her forehead start to pulse at his ability to read her. It pissed her off to no end that he could tell so much about her when she figured it was possible to hide them.

"You know why this room is empty."

"Because you break most of the things in my office."

"Because you couldn't do a single good thing in your entire life," she said and wasn't too happy when he rolled his eyes at her.

"You're right, maybe I should just fill my life with physical lust and be a ray of sunshine like you," he said and watched Anko look like she was about to explode as she stormed out and slammed the door behind her hard enough to shatter the glass.

Taro gritted his teeth and knew every time he pissed Anko off he found his wallet took a hit as well. He sighed as he fell back onto his pillow with a thump. He didn't know why Anko made him act like such an asshole. Well that was probably ninety percent him, he'd admit. Maybe he needed to practice kindness on someone.

He stopped his web of thought when he heard the door open and turned his head with a furrowed brow, wondering who would be here. Anko probably came back to tie him down and cut off some part of him as payback. He narrowed his eyes when he spotted that Hyuuga female that he had seen not more than two weeks before.

"Hello," Hinata whispered a bit concerned at the broken glass on the floor.

"Why are you here," he asked perplexed that someone he didn't know came to visit him with flowers at that.

"Um, my father told me that you were injured and I wanted to see if you were alright," she explained and put the plants down on the desk corner.

Hinata felt uncomfortable to be around someone that she didn't know, but felt it was only right to check up on the doctor who had done so much for her. That and she needed further clarification on how to manage her condition. The calorie bar consumption had done wonders to help her, yet it wasn't effective over long periods of time.

She pointed to his office chair and got his approval as he waved his hand for her to go ahead and sit on it. It was a bit weird to her why there was pink and yellow paint on the wall, yet tired to ignore it and saw the small collection of cards.

"May I," she asked and pointed to the paper items.

"Go right ahead," he mumbled and rotated away and positioned his leg to hopefully not get any bed sores.

Hinata went through the written notes and as she did felt worse for the male in the bed. There were only six cards and each one didn't exactly show a lot of sympathy for the situation.

The first was from the nurses at the hospital with a standard get well soon on the front.

"Taro get well soon, who knew that you could bleed," she read and felt her face slump at the comment.

"That's actually the best one," Taro commented without a single movement

She bit her lip and found one that was just an envelope that had the Hyuuga clan seal on it.

"Masahiro, I do hope that this won't affect your performance as I still expect you to maintain the schedule we have agreed upon. If you don't feel you are capable of this a Hyuuga clan member will stop by and retrieve all family medical information from you.

Hiashi Hyuuga."

She sighed and decided not to read any of the other best wishes, but she made sure to note that there was the clan seal of the Aburame, Akamichi, and one from the Hokage.

"How are you," she asked and knew it was dumb to say to someone with a broken leg.

Taro chose from the numerous sarcastic responses he had stored away. However, he also noted the lack of sarcasm and actual care in her voice and reasoned her concern was legitimate. He rolled back to face her and decided to try and interact with someone for once.

"I nearly died and the council plans to revoke my ninja status if I can't recover in time," he explained and watched her flinch.

Taro took it as an oddity for a Hyuuga to so freely show emotion. She was strange by clan standards and he wondered how she turned out like that.

"I'm sorry. Is there anything the Hokage can do to help you heal?"

"Tsunade has done all she can. My blood condition makes it difficult for me to repair damaged tissue efficiently. The cells become scar tissue that refuses to heal," he explained and noted how she hung on each of his words as if she wanted to listen.

Hinata put her head low and felt sorrow for the situation. She didn't know herself how it would feel to lose ninja status, since it did give several privileges.

Taro bit his lip and decided to continue the conversation as she didn't appear to be highly social.

"There must be a reason why you came besides to check on my crippled ass," he said and knew he was right when the female appeared to have a small hint of guilt on her face.

* * *

*Hokage's Office*

The day so far had turned out well for her. Tsunade hadn't needed to really push herself with Shizune back to assist in the paper part of the job. The number of mission requests had diminished a bit from the past month of August, but she felt it would increase again in the fall months.

It had amazed her how well Konoha had recovered over a three year period from the attack. Most villages would take a full decade to come back and continue their mission work load. Yet somehow Konoha had made itself known and come back with wonderful strength.

"The will of Fire," she whispered and smiled as she recalled her old sensei.

It was bitter sweet to remember the man. True he had trained the three sannin and died to protect the village, but it did little to fill the void he left as he passed on. Though she knew there were other problems that she had to deal with. She was only a month into her bet with Hiashi and already she had knocked off one successful mission.

"_Hiashi what will the look on your face be when Hinata makes you Naruto's father in law,"_ she had to stifle a laugh at the thought.

She could just imagine Hiashi there next to Naruto in an orange tuxedo ready to tie the knot.

"Baa-chan, it's an emergency," echoed through the entire tower despite the voice's owner not even near the room.

She sighed and just once wanted a single day when the position of Hokage didn't result in a headache. No sooner did she complete her thought that Naruto barged through the door without any hindrance. Kotetsu and Izumo had learned from previous attempts that to stand in Naruto's way resulted frequently in physical injury.

"Ichiraku needs its ingredients delivered," he gasped at the strain he felt in his lungs to reach the tower.

Tsunade felt the artery in her head pulsate and look like she were about to explode.

"You…broke in…just to make sure you get ramen," she asked with time between each word to ease the rage she felt.

Naruto didn't back down and locked gazes with Tsunade not at all intimidated by the older female. Shizune had been hard at work at a pile of paperwork and felt she needed to intervene before Naruto found himself with a crater for a forehead.

"Tsunade-sama, if Ichiraku were able to pay for a mission, I'm sure Naruto would be able to undertake the task," she said and immediately saw Tsunade's face change.

"_Hmm it would prove an easy task to do an ingredient run, but the rank would depend on how far away the destination is. However, I could mark it up as a C rank and get another mission for him and Hinata"_ she pondered if that solution would prove better.

However, it was an easy choice when she knew Naruto would give her an ear full if she said no.

"Alright, Naruto. I'll discuss the situation with Teuchi and if he wants you can go on a mission to retrieve the materials," she announced and was relieved to see his face brighten.

"Thanks, Baa-chan. Can I decide who comes with me? I wanted to ask Sakura."

"No," Tsunade thundered and it shocked Naruto with how much fury she denied his idea.

He was about to ask why, but Tsunade's expression was enough for him to wait for an explanation.

"Upon your return, Sakura collapsed in my office and appeared to have caught a rare form of chakra flu. For the safety of the village she has been isolated to her home until further notice. That means as a ninja of Konoha you aren't allowed to visit her, otherwise you could infect the entire village," she said and felt proud that she could deceive with the best of them.

"Really, wait me and Hinata were on the mission with her. We could be infected too," he yelled and wondered if that was why he had slept so much.

"That is unlikely, as both of you would've collapsed if you were afflicted."

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief as he really hated to be sick. That was mostly due to the fact that he couldn't stand to be stagnant for too long. He was always full of energy and had to move to get it out.

"Wait, have you seen Hinata today," he asked and started to panic that she could be sick.

"Wait Naru...," Tsunade wasn't able to finish before the male took off to find the female.

She sighed in how hopeless the male was. He was still a child that cared enough to check up on someone, yet he couldn't notice said female loved him.

"That child is hopeless and his sensei could help him once in awhile," she commented and knew Jiraiya was nearby.

It wasn't really odd for her to know as attractive as she was, Tsunade knew what it felt like to feel hungry eyes on her. However, Jiraiya had a gaze that could make even the most hardened women's skin crawl with the depth of his perversion.

"Well, it would be fun if I taught the kid everything I know," he replied and entered from his place outside the window.

"I dread the thought. As his God-father I expect you would be a lot more serious about his maturation into a man."

"I don't think he needs my advice on that," he said and felt himself flinch when Tsunade gave him a glare.

"Jiraiya, if you corrupted that child I'll finish what I started when you peeped all those years ago."

"Nothing like that happened while he was with me, I can assure you. If the kid wasn't sweet on Sakura I would think he wanted something else," he chuckled, but stopped when he noticed that Tsunade didn't share his humor.

"But, that wasn't why I decided to stop by. I think it's about time he tries to complete what the fourth couldn't," he said and watched her eyes go wide as to why he would put such a task on Naruto's shoulders.

She was concerned that Naruto wouldn't be up to it, yet he had surprised her in the speed that he got the rasengan down. However, manipulation of an elemental affinity into a jutsu was drastically different. It was the difference between a five mile run and a sprint across the entire Fire country.

"He has a mission to accomplish so you can help him after," Tsunade explained as she wrote up the mission request so she would just need Teuchi's signature.

"Fine, so who exactly is he assigned with?"

"I don't know, I left it up to him to decide."

Jiraiya couldn't help the perverted blush and smirk that ran across his face. He had an idea who the kid would choose not that he could blame him. It would probably be safer for him anyways to do those activities outside of the village. He just hoped he kept his libido under control while out there to keep himself for being assassinated.

* * *

*Konoha Hospital*

He didn't really expect to be in such a situation. Taro couldn't recall the last time he actually sat down and talked with another person. True, it wasn't like he had much of a choice as he couldn't just walk away now thanks to Sakura.

He had tried to remember how he explained her condition before and by the best he could recall he may have said it wrong. He clarified what she had. "Body Blanking: A rare genetic disease that was common among families that tired to inbreed to keep the blood line pure. The symptoms included low chakra, exhaustion, fever, fainting, and in rare cases bouts of dizziness. The treatment was to increase caloric intake and usually resulted in normal body function restored."

She had gone over all that she had experienced and he was happy to hear that it worked. However, with the frequent number of calories bars she had to ingest she needed an adequate substitute for missions. He didn't want to get any more involved with how terrible he felt, yet he couldn't help himself as medical cases were mysteries and he loved to solve things.

"I will have my assistant bring a recipe for calorie pills to you. It's a personal recipe so I can promise you it won't taste like Sakura's food," he said and saw that Hinata knew what he meant as her face cringed as she recalled how Kiba described the chocolate that she had made.

"Thank you," she replied and got out of his office chair.

Taro started to his feet as well. He knew it was stupid as his broken leg wouldn't hold his weight, but he needed to exercise it to keep the strength in it up so he it wouldn't take longer to heal. He was able to get up best he could, yet wasn't able to reach the crutch the nurse had purposely placed out of his reach.

He leaned best he could on the edge of his bed; however he knew it was impossible. He cringed in anger and wanted to shout at how the entire world was a cruel bitch. That was until Hinata grabbed the item and handed it to him. He didn't bother to thank her as he was sure she knew he was practically helpless.

Taro made his way into the hallway as best he could. He noted how the Hyuuga seemed to give him enough room to test his limits, but not enough that she couldn't grab him if he fell. It confused him to no end how she was so different from her sister. It was like Konoha and Iwa, the differences were so drastic.

"Hinata," rang a shout as a blond male made a dash down the corridor and barely stopped before he ran into the pair.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata asked as he came right at her.

She didn't have any time to respond as he immediately put his palm against her forehead and checked to see if she were sick with Chakra flu.

Her face immediately filled with blood as steam seemed to spray off her cheeks she blushed so fast.

Taro took a second and noticed the immediate blush and noted the look of eagerness on the males face. He examined what their relationship was based on the scenario and couldn't help himself as he stifled a laugh.

"_Oh I get it, she's in love with an idiot,_" he thought as the scene before him continued.

Hinata began to stutter and was unable to maintain her nerve long enough to actually respond to Naruto.

"Good, you're not sick. Baa-chan told me that Sakura-chan was sick so I came right away to see if you got infected too," he said and removed his palm happy in his own diagnosis.

Taro rolled his eyes into the back at his skull at the excuse that Tsunade had half-baked. A logical explanation would be an injury to her leg, alcohol poisoning, or a bad prank gone wrong.

"_Yeah I'm the one locked up in my office and she is at home under observation for attempted murder,"_ he grumbled as he did his best to support himself on his morphine drip on wheels.

"Oh yeah, I wanted to ask if you would come with me on a mission tomorrow."

Hinata felt her face brighten up at what she just heard. Naruto had just asked her first to go on a mission with him, but what did that mean exactly? Maybe he saw her as a viable teammate and possibly. She had to stop herself as his face started to slump at the fact she hadn't responded to his question.

She cleared her throat long enough to get some words out.

"Um...Hai," she blurted out and gave a long sigh at the effort it took.

"Great I'll see you at the village gate at ten in the morning," he said and took off back home to satisfy his appetite on a bowl of instant ramen.

Hinata started to return to normal and blushed even harder as Taro stared at her due to the strange interaction he had viewed. It was odd to have such a peculiar male see how she reacted to Naruto's presence.

"Thank you for your help, I hope that you feel better," she said with a quick bow and took off with great speed.

Taro limped onward, yet he had to stop as he turned back to see the last glint of purple as Hinata Hyuuga vanished from his sight.

He struggled forward on his broken leg and found a seat in the hallway to rest.

"Can't do a single good thing... Anko, I'll show you," he said and waited for Mist to arrive so he could make good on his promises.

* * *

*Naruto's Apartment*

He sat alone at the small dining table that was in his kitchen and poked away at his food. He had to admit that he loved ramen, but any ramen that wasn't Ichiraku just didn't measure up. He decided he had a need to eat and the sooner he consumed the meal the sooner he could fall asleep and get the mission started to get his most prized food back.

A single knock on his door brought him back from the noodles and salty broth to make him wonder who in their right mind would stop by near the end of the day.

Naruto rose from his warm chair and answered the nocturnal caller. He opened the door to a pair of red spiral eyes that belonged to a brown haired female with bandages wrapped about her as clothes.

"Good evening."

"Um, hello," Naruto responded a bit flustered by the female visitor.

"May I come in? I believe there is something that we need to discuss," Kurenai asked as she entered into the small residence.

"What do we need to discuss," he questioned with a perplexed expression engraved on his face.

"I would like to know what your intentions are."

"To be Hokage, of course."

"I mean in regards to my student."

"Which one," he asked and felt confused as the red eyed female flinched.

Kurenai was at a bit of a loss. What exactly did Naruto mean by which of her students. She figured the male only had eyes for girls as he saw him once try to get a kiss from Sakura only to end up several yards away in a crater.

She took a deep breath to steady herself and decided that it was time to stop the smoke and mirrors that was her style and attacked directly.

"I want to know if you are serious about your relationship with Hinata."

Naruto chocked so hard he was sure his lung had gotten stuck up in his throat.

"Our relationship? But we're just friends."

"Naruto there isn't any reason to lie to me. I have noticed Hinata's increased appetite and she was in your jacket only the day before."

"I only gave her my jacket because…," Naruto for once shut his mouth before he went any further.

Naruto wasn't the brightest light bulb, yet he knew that no good could come from the reason Hinata needed his jacket. Not to mention, if he told her she came to get her clothes it wouldn't help his case.

"I will ask again, Naruto. What are your intentions, and will you take responsibility," she asked and seemed to corner the male against his couch.

"Take responsibility for what," he asked clueless and noticed the rage aura about her disapate.

Kurenai examined Naruto's face and saw that he didn't have any of the features common when someone lied. He hadn't taken his eyes off her and that confirmed he honestly had no idea about Hinata's condition.

"Naruto I think that you need to talk to Hinata about her current condition," she explained and saw him take the information to heart as he nodded his head.

"I'll come back once you have two have discussed matters," she said and let herself out.

Naruto blinked a few times at the issue that had clearly just gone entirely over his head. He shook it off and took comfort in his cooked cup of ramen.

Kurenai sighed deeply at what had transpired. She had expected the male to have been informed about the consequences of his physical attraction to her student. However, she had been incorrect and now had to wonder why Hinata had withheld such information. She thought about the possible reasons the shy girl could have. Hinata probably was worried about what Naruto might do, but it could also have easily been her concern with her family.

The Hyuuga clan wasn't exactly the most compassionate or supportive emotionally. It had been a mistake to talk to Naruto, yet she felt now that he was set to talk with Hinata the situation could improve. She had to go and see her student early the next day to make certain she spoke about her condition with the father.

* * *

*Hokage's Office*

Tsunade had to catch her breath at what was explained to her. Kakashi had dropped by to inform her that the body of Sasuke Uchiha had arrived back at Anbu headquarters and was about to undergo interrogation.

"How the hell can Danzo excuse this?"

"The absence of the Curse seal would make it safe for a Yamanaka to enter into his mind and determine possible information about Sound and any other things he might have been involved in."

"That won't work. Sasuke needs to be conscious for the entire period of time, otherwise both minds could become lost if he suddenly died."

"The council elders believe it is a risk worth exploration, which they are ready to undergo soon."

"Dammit, what is that cruel sadistic creep about to do?"

"Somebody mention me," said the voice of Taro Masahiro as he was rolled into the Hokage's office with Mist behind his wheelchair.

"What happened," Kakashi asked confused as to how an inactive ninja managed to break his leg,

Taro looked at Tsunade who shook her hear side to side to hint that he should keep his mouth shut. He ignored her and figured it was better to come from a friend then from the Hokage who would drag it on.

"Your student tried to kill me, but I decided not to kill her in turn."

"What?"

"The death of the Uchiha betrayer has left her a bit high strung," he commented and moved closer to the Kage's desk.

"_Do you have to be so heartless about the situation,"_ Tsunade wondered as she thought of a way to get rid of him.

"Aren't you supposed to be at the hospital?"

"Yes, but I did the baseline tests and I am stable enough to go home," he reasoned as he put the brake on his wheels on.

"Taro, I really don't need this right now," she groaned and rubbed her forehead.

"We need to talk in private. Please," he emphasized the last part and stared at Kakashi for him to leave.

The male refused to make a move as he didn't want to be out of the loop now.

"What has happened with my students," Kakashi demanded

"Long story short, your deserter came home near death. Sakura tried to kill me as she thinks I'm responsible, and now the council has decided to keep him alive until they can suck every last drop of information from him."

Kakashi took a second to let it all sink in. He noticed that Taro made no mention of Naruto, but right now he was sure there was enough to deal with besides that. Sakura would be broken from this, not to mention the pain he felt in that he failed another person close to him.

"Alright now, Tsunade, I figured out how to protect Sakura," he explained and put down a list of things he needed.

Tsunade looked at the silver haired man and wasn't too surprised that he didn't respond. It had to be an immeasurable amount of devastation inside his heart. It was one thing to have a teammate someone you trusted become a traitor, yet in this case have another one in trouble for attempted murder didn't bode well. Nevertheless, she wanted to do all she could for her protégé and decided to tolerate Taro.

"What is it?"

"I need the forms for a legal name change and also the transfer of clan items to another," he said as he pointed to the listed materials.

"Why is that," she asked with a genuine look of concern etched on her young face.

"To put it simply, Clan Restoration."

Tsunade felt a mouthful of bile return up her throat and did her best to swallow it down and tolerate the burn caused by it.

* * *

*Sakura's Apartment*

She lay face down on her bed unable to make the tears cease. The days seemed to pass by her now, since she didn't even care to keep track of time. Her life had come to a halt and she wasn't even sure if it could start back up. Why did she have to find out the way she did? Why did it have to be Taro who killed the only person she ever loved?

She stopped her thoughts as she realized no matter how hard she tired no more tears came. She took a few minutes to try and ease her heart that refused to relax. She just felt like a piece of her was lost and she didn't feel complete anymore. The current situation hurt her more than anything she had previously been through.

She knew exactly why it was worse though. All those times before she could just go and talk with Naruto and he always seemed able to make her feel better despite the situation. This time she had an abundance of nothing to ease the blow that she suffered. She sat herself up and didn't want to imagine what this would do to her blonde friend.

Naruto had suffered just as much if not more than she did at their teammate's betrayal, yet he fought with all he had to try and save him from himself. Naruto understood the pain and uncertainty Sasuke had to be in and despite his demands to be left alone he still tried to save him from the darkness.

Now it was over. Sakura had gotten her wish to have Sasuke returned to the village, however she never wished for this to be the way it happened. It had been an ignorant dream of hers that she could get what she wished.

A series of knocks on her door made her dart her knees up so she could place her face against them.

"Sakura," called a female voice she knew to be her sensei.

"Tsunade-sensei," she responded and kept herself tucked into a bit of a ball.

The older female entered the room, not surprised to see the emotional wreck that her student was. All ninja old and young had lost someone they cared for and it was common for many of them to break down and cry. The ruined person she saw reminded her too much of how she had ceased to function when Dan died before her eyes. She was only thankful Sakura didn't endure the same situation, which wouldn't last much longer once the Anbu were finished.

"Well, I have bad news and worse news."

Sakura didn't even respond as she already figured she knew what was about to happen. Although, with how crummy she felt part of her welcomed a public execution.

"You didn't kill Taro."

"Is that the worse news," Sakura responded with no lack of sarcasm.

"Taro is awake and decided to spare your life, however you are officially held under the right of Clan Restoration. The procedure will be within a few days at Konoha Hospital," she informed and watched as Sakura didn't so much as make a move.

Tsunade couldn't help herself as she sighed and gave in to her mother instincts. She sat down on the bed next to Sakura and placed an arm around her to provide what little comfort she could. It shocked her when a new torrent of tears began to flow as a head of pink hair slammed into her chest and shook with tremors.


	10. The Scarlet Fever?

A/N. Well it's good to be back. I am glad that the semester has wrapped itself up and now I can get back to making these chapters. I must admit that in the last few chapters a reviewer here and there has pointed out that I have given Taro and Tsunade a lot of screen time. I can't explain all that I will do in future for this story, but I promise that the Naru/Hina relationship will be covered more and all that has been written is meant for the purpose of setting the scenario. That said I thank you all for the reviews and now it's your turn to enjoy.

*Early Morning*

A series of loud beeps made her open her pale eyes that appeared a bit blood shot despite their milky color. She rotated and slapped the snooze as the warmth of her bed refused to release her into a new day. There wasn't any light out and she honestly wondered if she really wanted to get up and go on a mission with Naruto.

However, when she recalled who she was to be alone with she sprang out of bed and dressed suddenly immune to the cold air. She tossed her clothes into the hamper and redressed in her normal wardrobe of blue Capri pants and her purple and white jacket. Naruto hadn't told her too much about the mission, but she figured it was probably a simple assignment. She was thankful, since that limited what she needed to bring.

She picked out a change of clothes and one of her warmer jackets, since she didn't know the destination. She grabbed a sleeping bag and decided to forego her fire kit as it was supposed to be clear skies for the entire day. She was happy to spend more time with Naruto-kun and was glad that he had picked her out of the entire village to assist him. The last mission hadn't started the way she had planned, though she did get some time alone with her crush. Even though they were separated by a wall, it was special to her as they actually conversed like a normal couple. She blushed at the comment and started toward the bathroom.

She stopped as she walked by her body size mirror and wondered if there was anything else she could do to improve upon her look. She remembered the hungry look the blue eyed male had given her when she had removed her jacket. She stared at her body and started to feel like she had a few abnormalities that the blonde wouldn't like if they weren't covered up. She noticed her skin was a bit pale and wondered if some make-up would encourage Naruto to look, although she didn't exactly own a large supply of cosmetics.

"_What could I do,"_ she wondered and examined herself with scrutiny. She felt her face blush as she thought to slide the zipper on her jacket down to reveal some cleavage as she recalled that Anko female did. However, she took some time to consider it and decided it wasn't how she wanted to attract the male. That and if it was only physical he wouldn't really appreciate the person behind the body.

She tapped her fingers in defeat and decided to go natural as she had grabbed his attention without the need of other aids. She finished in her preparation and examined all the items she had set aside for the mission.

"Naruto-kun's jacket," she said and realized she had thrown the item into her hamper as she had worn it to bed.

She secretly didn't want to return it, but she had to give it back. Naruto had let her borrow it and she didn't want him to see her as a thief, yet she was sure he wouldn't care in the end as he had many copies.

Hinata felt a slight pain hit her stomach and decided it was time to venture toward the kitchen for sustenance before she left the village. She took a step out her door and was surprised when she nearly tripped over what appeared to be a packed sling bag with a note attached to it.

**Hinata Hyuuga**

**The bag has the things that we discussed the other day. I also noticed in your chart that you have water affinity chakra so I put together a jutsu scroll for you.**

**Don't get killed,**

**Taro Masahiro**

Hinata blinked a few times and noticed that the item matched her jacket. The wrap that went around was white and the actual carry pouch was light purple. She figured it would be rude to not wear it, since it was technically a gift. She placed it cross body so that that the strap went from her chest and the pouch settled on her hip. It seemed bulky, but it was functional and didn't restrict movement. She pulled the plastic white zipper down on the pouch and noticed inside was a scroll about half the size of the pouch and a small plastic specimen container with black quarter size pills.

The jar had been marked with a label on it and she felt a bit flustered that it came with handwritten directions on how to take them.

**Two Pills a day one with breakfast and dinner. Do not exceed four pills in a single day. Side effects include shakes, slight fever, and excess energy. Each pill is worth two thousand calories of food and can be used as viable meal replacements.**

She felt her stomach gurgle at the sight of food and decided to just sate the beast in her. She turned the cap and produced a single pill and contorted her face as she anticipated a terrible flavor as she chomped it with her teeth. She felt greatly impressed as the coat on the outside was a licorice vanilla mix and the inside tasted like a chocolate strawberry tart.

It tasted incredible and she felt like she suddenly had a large rush of energy, yet unlike the time she tried the soldier pills at the academy she didn't feel jittery. She felt a smile spread across her lips as she returned the items and moved the pack back and placed her bag on top of it. She walked about the compound with no one aware of the extra item she had. Hinata reached the gate after a few moments and was excited when she noticed Kurenai-sensei leaning against the compound wall.

Kurenai had thought she could just get up late morning to talk to Hinata. However, when she heard she had a mission alone with Naruto she decided to get up and wait to ensure she could talk with her. She had been so early that she actually had started to practice what she would say several times prior to her departure. It wasn't that she had trouble with speeches, but more she was nervous about approaching Hinata since she did faint from excess embarrassment.

"Hinata, follow me," she said and started to the village gate.

"Hai," she responded with a bit of yelp as she worried there was another change in her mission.

"I wanted to speak with you before you left with Naruto."

"Why?"

"I know that you are shy, Hinata; but I believe you need to talk to Naruto about your condition."

Hinata nearly threw up at the bluntness of her sensei. She had thought no one would figure her out, but now Kurenai probably knew. Although, she had to admit the signs weren't exactly subtle. Yet, she hadn't been that obvious in her first form of treatment.

"I…I didn't think."

"I understand you're worried about how he'll react, but the longer you keep this from him the harder it will be for him to deal with."

"_I didn't think about that,"_ Hinata thought as she went over her condition in her mind.

Naruto on this mission wouldn't have anyone to depend on except for her. She knew her body could cripple her if she didn't have any food, but she always figured she could manage. However, she wondered what would happen if she couldn't. If she couldn't fight or react she could get hurt. Naruto could get hurt.

Kurenai took a second and saw the worry and deep thought cross her student's mind. It was hard to explain you were with child, especially when you had to tell the father. Though that was the least of one's problems if the male didn't want a kid. But, she did want her student to be happy and decided to revise the last bit of the conversation before she spoke.

"Hinata, if you love Naruto he has the right to know," she added and saw Hinata's face start to lighten up on the seriousness of the situation.

Kurenai had decided to allow Hinata to go on a harmless mission as she did have some explanation to give the blonde. However, she couldn't shake the bad thoughts that loomed as she considered the possible dangers.

Hinata gave it plenty of thought and knew with all her heart that she loved Naruto, but she was embarrassed of what he would think about her. It was so hard for her to reveal things about herself to him, since she valued what he thought over everyone she knew. It would destroy her if he thought it made her less desirable, or worthless. Nevertheless, she needed to share her condition with him otherwise it could drive a stake between them.

"Alright," she confirmed to Kurenai and gave a smile.

Kurenai sighed at the confirmation, however she knew it didn't make it any easier for when she told Tsunade and she took action against Naruto. Although, she didn't want to mention that to Hinata as it wouldn't do her any good.

"Hey, Hinata," shouted Naruto as he waited at the gate with his pack.

Naruto didn't sleep too well the night before as a nightmare of a Konoha without Ichiraku continued to plague him. He had waited at the gate for about two whole hours and was glad that Hinata arrived on time, unlike Kakashi sensei.

"Are you ready?"

"Hai. Um…,Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are we headed," she asked more to get a conversation with him started to help ease the tension she felt.

Naruto took a second and felt like an idiot as he remembered the previous day and his lack of explanation of what they were exactly to do.

"We're headed to wave country to locate a trade caravan; and if we can't, Ichiraku has provided a list of ingredients that were ordered," he said as he actually took out a map that had the marked route that the caravan would've taken to get to Konoha.

Hinata had to admit that she was impressed that he had done so much work in preparation. But, when it came to matters Naruto was passionate about, he truly had no bounds in the energy he put in.

When he finished with the paper and placed it back in his pack they both set off on the mission.

* * *

He had explained everything he planned to do to the Hokage, but that didn't mean that he needed to tell her all of his objectives over the next couple of days. However, he felt like he had been screwed by Mist as she refused to drop him off at the Yamanaka flower shop. Normally Mist would take care of payment to all his employees, yet she refused to work after he had her drop off the items at the Hyuuga compound at midnight.

Taro was frustrated with his predicament because most of the roads in Konoha were dirt with numerous rocks and potholes. This made it incredibly hard for someone in a wheelchair to navigate without someone to push them around.

"_Someone needs to file a complaint about this crappy public service,"_ he grumbled as he managed to finally get through the door of the flower shop.

"Welcome to the Yamanaka flower shop," Ino greeted with an almost too friendly tone.

"Glad to be here," Taro deadpanned and rolled up to the countertop.

Ino sighed when she saw the man. She hadn't known Taro for very long, but it was enough for her to want the man dead. However, with the current rumor around town, she apparently didn't have to do so herself.

"Taro, the question around town is who tried to kill you. The three bets were Tsunade, Sakura, or Anko. I put my money on Sakura," she said with a smile.

Taro offered a series of unintelligible words as he appeared more interested in the many plants around the shop.

Ino couldn't help herself as she gave a grin and laugh.

"_Great! I'll be able to buy those new clothes and gear,"_ she thought with no little amount of gratification. But, she wondered if maybe that was why she hadn't seen the pink haired female around. Ino figured Sakura probably had a mental break and Taro ended up with a physical one. Although, if it were an innocent injury why was it such a secret?

"Ino, I pay you for good information about other people," he clarified and spotted something that caught his eye.

"What is that," he asked as he saw a green plant with various buds that looked propped open like miniature bear traps.

"It's a Venus fly trap. It uses the color of its buds to attract insects and once they're inside it traps and breaks them down into useful energy for itself," she explained and went to the case and removed a sapling, carnivorous plant.

Taro looked at it and couldn't help it as he felt an evil smile rush across his lips.

"We were made for each other," he said and took the plant from Ino.

"I hope you don't plan to buy that."

"Why not?"

"That plant is illegal to own in Konoha."

"Carnivorous plants grow in the forest of death."

"The Aburame clan had them declared illegal so they wouldn't lose any more of their bugs in the village."

"Then why do you have it?"

"One of the flower shipments we got from Mist country had it by mistake, but he couldn't take it back. And if we sell it, the shop could get in trouble with the Aburame."

"So, it would be good for you if it just vanished from the shop," he inquired as he examined the new creature.

"Only if the thief left triple the worth behind," she said and watched Taro flinch at the cost. She knew he had plenty of money, but the man was cheap whenever he had something he wanted.

"One and a half times," he countered

"Two and a half times," she retorted

"One and a half, plus two weeks of free beauty treatments at the Konoha Spa?"

"Konoha doesn't have a spa," she countered

"It will when the workers finally arrive from Rayumi Island."

"You haven't built the place have you?"

"I own the land, and I have an Anbu who owes me a favor. So by week's end it should be done."

"Can I bring someone with me," she asked and entered the cost into the register.

"Deal."

"Anything else?"

"Information," he said and soon found his mind frozen up

A small house spider slid down a single thread of silk from the ceiling until it reached the edges of one of the plants traps. It was a mindless creature as far as he knew, which wasn't confirmed when it seemed to spot that he had his eyes on it. The arachnid rushed down the open area only to have its only means of escape slam shut and its fate sealed to become fertilizer.

"Afraid of spiders," Ino questioned as she saw tremors run through the male's hands.

Taro blinked a few times as he got a nasty chill down his spine. He was scared of the infernal creatures with good reason. He shook his head to clear the thoughts of the sizeable eight legged freaks that he had come into contact with at the end of the war. But the thought that came back to him of that twisted female made him start to shake even worse.

"Taro," Ino shouted loud enough to make him snap out of his trance of fear.

"I need to go," he spat and with his free hand rotated his chair and made for the door.

Ino scratched her forehead at how he had reacted, but it did give her a nice little bit of information to store away in case she needed to make Taro remember their deal.

"_I should probably go and check on Sakura too, but I have to finish my shift,"_ she thought and came to realize a sudden problem she had.

"He didn't pay for that plant," she realized and wondered if she could somehow manage to hit him with a mind swap jutsu from the counter, but he was unfortunately long gone.

* * *

It had been about twelve hours for them and still not a single word had transpired between the pair. They had met at the village gate and headed off for wave country by use of the road. Although, that was the extent of their interaction and currently neither wanted to speak.

Naruto couldn't look at Hinata after the encounter he had with her sensei. He still wasn't sure what she meant by asking if he would take responsibility for something. What was it that had made Kurenai think Hinata and he were more than friends? He stole a quick glance at the female over his right shoulder, but instantly turned back to face the road when he thought she noticed.

Hinata felt like she had done something wrong. Naruto hadn't spoken a single word to her other than when he showed her where they needed to go on the map. She felt like there was a void between them, which didn't encourage her to reveal her medical status.

"_Why hasn't he said anything to me? Did I do something to make Naruto-kun uncomfortable,"_ she thought and kept her face pointed away toward the nearby tree line.

"_Why hasn't she looked at me,"_ he thought and couldn't help himself as he scratched the back of his head.

Hinata kept her face turned away from him and decided it would be okay if she well looked at him without his knowledge. She activated her Byakugan and as the world faded she focused on his facial features. She felt torn up inside as she noticed how serious he was, and he looked rather deep in thought at that.

They had been on the road for quite awhile and had nearly covered the entire route the caravan could've taken. The last place they needed to check was a stretch of road that went through a thick forest just before the great Naruto Bridge. Naruto was familiar with the area as he did travel through it once, but that wasn't the best experience as his team had run into Zabuza.

"What's that," he asked and made Hinata jump since she hadn't paid any attention to their mission.

There on the side of the dirt road was a brown cart that had two of its wheels broken, and the horses that had pulled it seemed to be long gone.

"The trade convoy," Hinata asked as they approached and decided to check for any signs of what occurred.

The cart itself looked normal, except for the destroyed wheels; but there were no signs of battle or struggle anywhere else. They decided to look inside and were welcomed by the putrid smell of carrion and decay. There were several barrels, each of them had been full of fish, fruits, and vegetables. There were even a couple bundles of clothes and a small safe with thousands of yen. However, the strange thing was that it had all been left behind for some reason.

Hinata was at a loss for words. She couldn't understand where everyone had gone to. If there had been a battle of some sort, why hadn't the supplies been taken as well? Raiders or rogue ninja would take whatever they could to survive; yet there was too much left, and that made so little sense. Also if the workers were forced to abandon their transport, they would've taken their money or at least some clothes and food.

"Hey, anyone there," Naruto shouted and seemed oblivious to Hinata's flinch at the sudden noise.

"Naruto-kun, we should be quiet," she warned as they continued to search through the remains.

"_Where is everyone," _Naruto wondered as he looked at the ingredients and noticed that none of them were fresh enough to be salvaged.

Hinata, meanwhile, decided to scout the nearby area to see if maybe there were tracks or some evidence to where all the traders had gone. She swept the landscape with her Byakugan for any indication that someone had walked by. She examined the ground, rocks, trees, and nearby road, but there wasn't a single shred left. It seemed as if all of them had just somehow disappeared into thin air. She looked straight up and wondered how that would be possible as there were no trees above to prepare an ambush.

Naruto came out of the cart and already knew they had to make a trip back into wave country. Although, he actually looked forward to that since he could check in on Inari and old man Tazuna. He looked forward to see how things had changed over the time he was gone, but right now the lost people were his primary concern.

"Anything?"

"Nothing at all. I don't see any proof that someone was even here."

"There must be…"

A shrieked "help" from the voice of what sounded like a young female cut him, off and made both of them go into full alert.

"Where did that come from," Naruto asked and waited for Hinata to scan for any trace of a child.

She had to concentrate to put more chakra into her eyes and expand her field of vision. It stung a bit for her to accomplish since the coils behind her eyes needed to adjust to the higher level of chakra. It took her a few moments until she finally noticed a nearby cave that seemed to have distinct signs of peculiar tracks.

"This way," she took off in a sprint with Naruto close behind her as they progressed through the thick foliage.

The area began to crowd in around them as they proceeded deeper into the nearby forest. They suddenly ran into a bottle neck made by a set of boulders, which lead into a dark cave like entrance. Neither of them hesitated to enter as the screams began to get louder and more erratic.

"I can't see a thing," Naruto commented as he tried to figure out a way to make some light.

Hinata read his mind, although she was fully able to see even though it was black and white; yet she needed Naruto able to see in case they needed to make a quick escape.

She removed a trio of glow sticks from the side of her pack and with a quick crack and shake filled the entire cave formation with a neon green light.

They both gasped when they looked up to see a roof not made of rock or tree canopy, but of spider web. The structure was large enough that it blocked out all of the residual sunlight that slithered through the tree cover. The only thing that provided a small amount of illumination were white orbs in it that gave off a light blue shine.

"_It must have taken thousands of spiders to make that. Or one giant one," _she gulped a bit shocked an arachnid could grow to such a size.

"Hey, up here," called a female voice.

It was hard to make out the form as there were several oval shaped balls of silk. However, quite a few of them appeared to be thinner and that didn't bode well to either Konoha Nin.

"Where are you," Naruto asked and swept the area with his eyes to the best of his ability.

"Here," came the voice again this time one of the cocoons swayed back and forth to isolate it from the others that was located nearly twenty feet in the air.

Naruto smiled and started to take off, but was stopped by Hinata who grabbed his elbow. She blushed at the contact, yet she knew that needed to wait for another time.

"Don't touch the web."

"Why not?"

"Spiders hunt by the feel of vibration against their webs," she warned and tired her best to locate a safe route to the captured girl.

It hurt her eyes as she tried to focus with her blood limit on the silk, which had a rather strange property to it. The threads were thin by the best of her knowledge, yet it appeared to block her Byakugan's ability to see through it. She figured it probably had something to do with the creature that made it; since the size was unnatural, the arachnid had to be as well.

The path took them around a few strange sacks that sounded like they had a pulse in them. The sound only seemed to get louder as they approached the spot under the damsel in distress.

Naruto took over when they were close enough and performed his favorite jutsu. A group of six Naruto's popped into being and formed a human ladder. The one at the top performed a quick slice with his kunai and that caused the pod to drop into the arms of the real Naruto at the bottom.

They held their breath and wondered if all hell would break loose and to their surprise it didn't.

"Hey watch it. I'm a person not a rug," complained the female that was being carried like a carpet over two of the clones' shoulders.

"Piece of cake," said a clone who suddenly stepped into another sack on the floor that opened with a loud crunch. The clone looked down and noticed a male human face that appeared to have been drained of all its fluids. His eyes went wide and in a sudden burst all of the clones shouted as they grabbed both females and made for the entrance at full speed.

The group exited the makeshift cavern and continued on for a bit as the clones figured it was finally safe to catch their breath. They were glad to be outside in the open where there were no more creepy bags filled with people. He placed the girl down and was a bit surprised when he noticed that one of the clones had grabbed and carried Hinata out as well. He put her down and allowed the clones to disappear since they were no longer needed. Hinata felt her face start to return to her normal skin color, and in a desperate attempt to avoid eye contact looked to the sky.

"_I didn't expect that. Naruto must not like spiders too much. It looks like it might rain soon,"_ she thought to take her mind off of the sudden physical contact.

"Who are you anyway," asked the female who was still all wrapped up.

"We're ninja from Konoha," Hinata responded as Naruto produced a kunai to cut her out.

The female remained still so Naruto could start to cut her loose of the spider webbing. He figured her face was a good place to start since the only things left exposed were her nose and mouth. It was strange how strong the material was, since it was silk strands. Although, he couldn't understand why she had been covered up to only her mouth though. He hadn't taken the time to check all the cocoons, but they had been completely covered.

"_She probably chewed her way through it so she could cry for help,"_ he reasoned as he got her head free.

The woman appeared to be in her near thirties, she had a few wrinkles about the edges of her eyes and light brown hair cut into a bob with a set of eyes that had yellow irises and skin that was caramel colored.

"Um, can I have a little support here," she asked as he noted that she was uncomfortable with her head unsupported as she lay there.

Naruto sighed as he knew this was probably some spoiled female he had to deal with again. It really made him wonder how so many females became stuck up. He knew it could happen from a rich household or high prestige.

"_There are exceptions though_," he thought and took a small glimpse at his Hyuuga companion that came over to assist.

"I'll hold her head," Naruto volunteered to hopefully get on the female's good side.

He sat down beside the girl and slowly moved his left thigh under her head. She appeared to be comfortable as Hinata got a kunai underneath the sheathe she was in and began to peel it away. She worked quickly since she knew what it felt like to be in a cocoon and to say it wasn't pleasant was an understatement. Hinata finally split the wrap open and wasn't surprised to see the female was in what appeared to be a high quality purple silk outfit that covered her from head to toe.

"_I should probably inspect for injuries_," Hinata thought and decided to use her Byakugan since she couldn't use a diagnostic jutsu, because a chakra system was needed to perform such an analysis of someone's body. She decided to do a forced activation without the use of hand signs. Just to see if she were capable to do so.

She felt a small twinge of pain behind her eyes, but other than that it wasn't a hindrance. The world faded again, but this time Hinata blinked a few times because she thought she had possibly done damage to her vision.

"She has a chakra sys…," she couldn't finish because one of the female's legs made contact with her chest and sent her backwards.

Naruto didn't have time to react as the woman's head turned and she took a bite into his stomach that made him shout in pain. It felt like he was being split open with a knife. Naruto tried to hit the female, but she was swift and nimble as she contorted into a weird hold that put her legs around his head and her hands pinned his to the ground. She saw a kunai fly at her from a recovered Hinata, which was enough motivation to make her let go and jump back.

Hinata was beside Naruto in a second confused as to why she had bitten him, but she didn't have time to care about that. Naruto looked like he was alright, because it was only a simple bite.

"Who are you?"

"Hensa Ichizoku, a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"What do you want? Why did you attack us?"

The female licked her lips that were covered in Naruto's blood. The red fluid seemed to give her an urge of euphoria as she caught some of the droplets on the dark skin of her right hand.

"I want the same as any person. To survive," she said and licked more blood off her hand.

"Do you normally ambush people who come to help you," Hinata retorted and looked back happy that Naruto was back on his feet and the bite wound had clotted.

"Well only you two. You see not many animals or people come by here anymore. So I had to improvise and that caravan had plenty of tasty animals….and people," she explained and seemed to delight more as she kept her focus on the blonde.

"_She caught us off guard, but she probably didn't expect us to figure her out until it was late and she could kill us both as we slept," _Hinata thought and prepared for combat.

She lowered into her fighting stance, but felt her stomach sink as her companion grabbed his chest and collapsed to his knees.

Naruto didn't quite understand what had happened, but he knew that the situation they were in didn't bode well. He had been bitten and that wasn't such a problem as he knew it was really a last resort if you didn't have a weapon. The wound hadn't hurt too badly and he couldn't honestly feel any pain from it. He had gotten up and been prepared to fight, but all of a sudden the entire world started to spin and he couldn't even breathe properly. It felt like his body had been turned against him.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata got to his side and noticed that he seemed confused and a bit feverish.

"I see it's taken effect already," Hensa said and smiled at Hinata to show a pair of canines that were long enough to touch her lower gum line.

Hinata appeared to keep her eyes on the threat, but had her attention on her teammate. It was bizarre as she checked him over and noticed how the chakra around his gut was absent. Normally when there was an injury, chakra wasn't affected unless the wound was into the deep tissue.

"_Poison, I need to get it out before it circulates,"_ she thought and began to look through her emergency supplies for a poison balm.

Her attention came back as a spike of chakra brought her focus onto the enemy ninja. Hensa finished a quick sequence of hand seals and spewed a cone of spider webs. Hinata felt a surge of panic take over her. She couldn't leave Naruto, but if she didn't there was a good chance they'd be trapped.

She pulled a kunai from her pouch and quickly tied an explosive note to the handle. She threw the item into the web vomit and felt herself pray to kami for their safety.

Hensa was caught off guard by a blast of fire that ran up the jutsu and made her nearly swallow a fireball. She halted the technique by biting the silk threads, but still got blown back by the explosion. She grunted in frustration, yet was quickly on her feet to check the area of effect.

The ground area was coated with a layer of webs, which were still on fire. She smiled when some of the dust settled and there were the pair with the female on the male as if she had attempted to shield him from the blast. She grumbled when she saw that the dress she had gone to such trouble to steal was now destroyed with numerous burn marks. However, she figured with the girl dead she could always strip her of her clothes.

She approached with caution, since she knew it could be a trap. She decided there was no fear of danger and reached out for the pair only to watch them phase out of existence.

She gritted her teeth that such a low level jutsu had fooled her, but she figured no matter where they went it couldn't be far.

"Summoning technique," she said and had a white egg sack the size of a human head pop up on the ground.

"They're in our woods, find them," she ordered as the sack popped and thousands of brown spiders with blood red eyes emerged like a swarm of ants to search the area.

* * *

Hinata felt like her lungs couldn't provide her with enough energy to keep them both on the move any longer. It hadn't been her first choice to run away, but she knew there was no way she could fight with Naruto crippled. She looked back over her left shoulder and noticed that he was unconscious with perspiration accumulating on his brow.

She gritted her teeth and decided it was time to find a hiding spot. She continued on for a few more seconds until she saw a large oak tree that appeared to have grown too large, its base had opened to form a makeshift overhang. She jumped down from the branches, but felt her legs buckle a bit as Naruto's extra weight caught her off guard.

"_We should be safe here, and I need to work on my leg strength,"_ she thought and took him inside.

The tree was an ideal place. It would shield them from a sneak attack since there was only one way in or out. The downside was there was only one way in or out, which meant a frontal assault would trap them since they were exposed and could be spotted from a ways off. That normally wouldn't be a problem if she could keep her Byakugan active all day and night, but not even Neji or her father could manage that amount of chakra usage.

She sighed in defeat and decided she had best go to find something for camouflage. Her plan was interrupted when Naruto grit his teeth and let loose a groan of pain. It had still amazed her how badly he had been injured by such a small thing, since she had seen the blonde be pulverized by Neji and Sakura before and been fine. However, this was different. There was some kind of poison inside him.

She stopped and decided to check his temperature before she headed out, but that only made her refuse to go anywhere than be beside him.

"You're on fire," she whispered and had to figure a way to treat him.

She had to take a second as she knew where the bite area was, but it still made her blush even as she tempered her resolve and lifted up his shirt. Her heart dropped at the site on his belly. There were two entry holes, which were the fang marks. However, a four inch circle from the spot of the bite had turned black and a yellow white puss discharge had started to emerge.

Hinata had to catch her breath to steady her mind against the possibility that he was about to die.

"_No, I need to keep it together. Naruto-kun wouldn't give up on me,"_ she assured herself and decided to treat him in a calm manner.

Hinata had gone through the techniques that were required for medic ninja. Though she wasn't anywhere near as capable as Sakura and she also had no idea how to remove poison from a wound. She took some time to think about the possibilities she could try, but as she waited Naruto only appeared to grow worse. She reached for her emergency supplies on her left side and found it absent.

"_Where did my supplies go,"_ she thought and figured she must've dropped it when she tried to escape.

"I need to get his fever down first," she said and reached back for her canteen.

She shook the item, but felt overwhelmed with dread when there was no sound of liquid movement inside. She looked at the side and saw a finger size hole at the bottom and a fragment of the kunai she had thrown embedded inside. Her fortune wasn't any better when she noticed Naruto's was empty as well.

"What can I do," she groaned in a rare bought of anger at the situation.

"_Maybe I could go find some water? No, I can't leave him like this. I should deal with the poison, but it won't matter if his temperature reaches 108,"_ she thought with real concern that things were about to get worse somehow.

The sudden crack of thunder followed by the pats of water made her realize that it all had to happen at the worst possible time. She looked out from their shelter and knew it was about to become more difficult to survive, especially without a fire. However, a small drop of water hit her head from a long root that crept down from the tree and soon gave a constant stream of water.

She felt the urge to pout, but caught herself when she realized that she now had a steady supply of fluid. Hinata moved Naruto onto the ground and opened his bag to try and find something to use as a cloth as she didn't bring any such items that could fit the job. Well she did, but they were more intimate pieces of clothing she didn't want to place on his head.

She was glad to find a spare white shirt and after a few expert folds and some time under the drip placed it on his forehead. He seemed to be in less pain, although his right hand seemed to try and scratch at the lesion. Hinata tapped her index fingers together and figured she could try and tend to his wound a bit more.

"_Maybe I can remove some of the poison, but I only know the chakra scalpel technique and I could do some real damage to his organs if I just cut around inside him," _she thought and had to contemplate a new procedure she could try to assist him further.

Although, all she could come up with was to suck the poison out from the wound site. While she knew it was a good thought she found two large holes in the idea. One, she didn't have anything to coat her mouth with, which meant the second she got the substance on her lips she'd be contaminated as well. The second was that if she did find a way to remove the toxin she had the fear that Naruto would wake up and see her mouth on his lower abdomen.

"_That would just be too much,"_ she thought and felt her stomach complain that it had gone too long without food.

She felt a blush rush over her face and looked at the still unconscious figure of the blonde.

"Gomen," she whispered and felt a bit confused that she kept up her conversation with him despite his oblivious state.

Hinata was unsure if she should continue, but it did help to ease the tension she felt.

* * *

*three hours later*

She was drenched to her bones and the lack of adequate cold weather clothes didn't alleviate her pain. She flicked some of the brown hair from her yellow eyes, but she was no closer to her goal then when she started. It had been a bad string of luck that the white eyed girl had gotten out of her sight before the rain began.

Spiders used many ways to track their pray, since their eyesight wasn't much use to them. The thousands she summoned had begun on a good trail, yet they failed when the vibrations on the ground from the rain threw them off. Hensa had dispelled them once the storm started, this was only to prevent them from a slow death from the water.

She had attempted a futile search for quite a period of time, though she only found herself back at her home/web. She used a quick fire jutsu on some of the wood she had collected and decided that tomorrow she would go out for a real hunt with her larger friends and maybe even in her real form.

* * *

Hinata felt like her eyes had balloons behind them that steadily increased in pressure the longer she was awake. She needed to get some rest, but each hour without fail Naruto's compress needed to be changed. She had been glad to see that his temperature had gone down, but the black on his skin had only spread further up towards his chest.

It had been hard on her for a bit to be in silence around Naruto, since she was on edge when she heard even the slightest noise. She was unsure if that enemy ninja was nearby or if there were other sources of danger in the area. Therefore, to fight the silence she decided to talk to him and for once do a majority of the conversation.

"I know you probably can't hear me, but I just wanted to say that this is worse mission I've been on," she said and felt herself respond as if he were still awake.

"Because of the situation were in. Not you," she said with confidence, though it was from the fact he didn't show much reaction to the stimuli of her voice.

She stopped for a moment and reapplied the cool water to the male's forehead. It was a bad situation to be in, although she tried to look at the positive parts. The only one possible was that she could talk to Naruto without fear of embarrassment.

"You want to know a secret? To be honest I never thought that I would have to be the one to protect you. I've seen how much you've improved over the time that you were gone. I tried to do the same, but I feel like I'll never catch up with you," she continued and noticed that he seemed to want to get comfortable somehow.

Hinata looked over her shoulder to make sure no one else saw her next action. She moved closer to the male and lifted his head so that he rested comfortably against her thighs. He appeared to snuggle into her and relax and that helped to ease her frail nerves and grant her more courage.

"I wanted to tell you that I have a medical condition, but I was afraid to tell you about it. I know you wouldn't care and probably tell me that it wouldn't affect me if I just tried hard enough. But, I was afraid that it would put a greater distance between us," she groaned and did one of the things she longed to do if she ever became his girlfriend and lightly combed her fingers through his blonde spikes.

"You truly are incredible. I know the Rasengan was one of the Fourth's personal jutsus and you managed to do in days what took him years to understand. Someone that skilled deserves someone just as great as him" she explained the best she could and decided to take a moment to moisten her throat with some of the plant filtered water.

"I've just been really happy to talk with you on these missions. You couldn't imagine all the nights I dreamed of the conversations we could have, yet I know most of them wouldn't interest you that much," she added a bit sad with how plain she was.

It had done wonders or her nerves to just talk with him, even though he wasn't able to hear it. She closed her eyes and embraced the silence and comfort that the sound of rain brought her.

"_Silence,"_ she thought with fear and turned to her companion whose chest had ceased to rise and fall.

Hinata was immediately out of her tired haze and at her crush's side in a flash. Her sense of embarrassment was overcome by her urge to protect as she pulled up his shirt. She felt her mind and heart crumble as the skin of his entire torso had turned black. She checked his pulse and thankfully it wasn't absent' however, it was dangerously low.

"Naruto-kun," she called to him and touched his forehead to hopefully get him to wake up.

"Naruto-kun!"

* * *

It couldn't really have been anymore miserable for the animal. If any of the other tailed beasts could see him now, he felt like they would laugh themselves to death. Stuck inside a cage in a dark and moist sewer was the final insult to the great nine tailed fox demon. The great Kyubbi trapped for eternity inside an idiotic child until such a time that he escaped or died along with the container.

It was truly a terrible situation to be behind bars with nothing to do. But, what made it worse was that he could hear echoes of the containers conversations. Some of the voices the Kyubbi heard didn't aggravate it, however there were two male ones that sounded dark and depressed that made him nearly lose his mind.

The fox demon rested his head between his paws when he realized that his environment was different. True, they weren't wonderful accommodations since it was technically a sewer. But, the Kyubbi did wonder if the reason there was always so much moisture inside was because the child ate too much salty ramen, which made him retain all the water.

"_Why is the child's heartbeat so quiet. And why is it darker than usual,"_ he thought and stretched as he rose onto all fours.

"Child," he shouted and noticed that normally he could see some manifestation of the boy.

The fox put his face close to the sealed gate that kept him contained and saw the manifestation of the child with some black snake like substance that seemed to surround him through the fluid on the floor.

He grunted and stomped his paw, which sent the fluid away and the substance appeared to retreat as if it were hurt.

It displayed its fangs and gave out a sudden roar as it let some chakra flow out from the cage to solve the problem, which was the weak constitution of his human confine.

* * *

"Don't give up, you haven't become Hokage yet_,"_ she called to him and noticed that there was only a faint heartbeat left.

Hinata couldn't accept the sight before her as she continued to perform CPR to restart his heart. She knew the procedure was fifteen compressions and two breaths, yet she was too deep in shock to focus on the later part. She just kept her hands on him and refused to let him slip away. She wouldn't let him, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

She felt her arms start to get fatigued from the number of presses she had done to his chest. Although, she refused to give up until she felt the beat of his heart start to ebb into silence.

She took her hands off him and slowly looked at his face that appeared too peaceful for the situation they were in.

"I….I…," she felt the words collect in her throat as he gave out a rather long final raspy gasp of air.

"I love you," she whispered with closed eyes as she touched her forehead against his.

She couldn't stop herself as tears started to flow from her eyes, but against all the urges she had to keep them closed her eyes flew open when she felt a sudden surge of energy. Hinata felt relief, but to her great surprise his eyes were blood red.

An explosion of red chakra surged forth from Naruto's body and it appeared to affect the entire forest. The rain came to a stop and the temperature inside their shelter seemed to sky rocket. She fell back on her rear end and retreated out of self-preservation due to the pure malevolence that the red chakra gave off. It wasn't anything she had ever felt before.

The eruption receded as quickly as it sprang up and she noticed a strange seal on his stomach that appeared to evaporate away to show only his normal colored skin. The black discoloration was gone and he appeared to be awake without any grimace on his face from pain.

Hinata was weary to come close again, since she hadn't felt such a power before in her entire life. The crimson chakra had caused her heart rate to spike, but she decided to approach him to ensure that he hadn't been harmed. She noticed that his eyes were wide open and now back to their natural blue, though he didn't appear to be fully aware of outside stimuli. His pupils focused on her as she moved and he somehow produced a smile as they closed.

"_Where had that energy come from,"_ she thought as best she could with the adrenaline that refused to thin in her blood.

She retreated back toward one of the walls of the tree and took a long inhale to steady herself. Her hands continued to shake, but that was the least of her worries. Hinata had recalled that they were supposed to be hidden, but that gush of power probably alerted their attacker. However, she noted that nothing came from the nearby trees and even the animals that were nearby seemed absent.

Hinata was still cautious, but as soon as she lost focus on the possibility of danger her mind returned to the crisis in regards to Naruto. She tried to think of any occasion that Naruto had done a feat such as the one she witnessed.

"_Wait, Neji had lost to Naruto at the Chunin exam and Shino said there had been a strange occurrence,"_ she thought and was actually glad she had been unconscious due to her own injuries.

She looked over Naruto again, though she didn't know how to truly feel. Naruto was always so kind despite the loneliness he had suffered through most of his life. On the other hand, that energy she felt wasn't gentle. It felt like it had been pulled straight from the heart of a demon. She felt fear toward Naruto, although those feelings were put under control when she noticed he stirred and turned toward her.

"_No, I know Naruto-kun and that power wasn't him. But, where did it come from,"_ she wondered.

Hinata's her heart rate steadied, yet her tiredness had literally been scared out of her. She knew she needed to rest and figured if Naruto was better she could set up traps, camouflage, and maybe scout the area to find out where they were.

She activated her Byakugan and swept out about three hundred feet around them to confirm they were still safe. She moved from her spot and stopped at the entrance.

"Don't worry, Naruto-kun, I won't let you out of my sight," she commented

Naruto's eyes cracked open slightly not of his own will as the Kyubbi wished to know who the current voice it heard belonged too. It normally was aggravated by most human voices, though the female it heard made it want to sleep due to comfort. It could only grab a short image of the person. It made sure to note specific spots on the female's body, which were her breasts, hips, and face. It took the great fox demon only a moment to reach his conclusion.

"Acceptable," he growled and curled back up on himself so he could rest and dream of some place outside of his prison.

*****One hour later*****

Hinata had pushed herself harder than she thought possible. It was a God-send that she had so much more energy with her condition treated, but she had used so much chakra in her Byakugan that the coils behind them throbbed in pain. She pushed aside some of the foliage she had put up and was surprised how cozy the nook seemed now that she was exhausted.

"_I can't do anymore,"_ she thought with a deep sigh.

Her clothes were soaked from the rain, but she was so tired she didn't care much. Hinata removed her jacket and was relieved to see that it had absorbed all the water and left her upper half dry.

She tried to stay on her feet, but felt them go out from under her and she landed beside Naruto on the floor. She groaned deeply and finally felt herself lose to her fatigued body as her eyes shut.

"Naruto-kun, I guess we do have something in common. We both have secrets that we're afraid to tell each other. But, I can wait until you're ready if you'll do the same," she slurred at the end as she finally got some needed rest.

* * *

It was a terrible place for them to be, but drastic times called for drastic measures. The group had arrived at Anbu headquarters and thankfully avoided any questions as one could when with the Hokage; who could go anywhere she pleased. Kakashi had volunteered to come as it did involve his ex-student, but he couldn't exactly understand why Taro was with them.

Shizune had been given the great honor of wheelchair pusher, which made her wonder at times if Tsunade secretly loathed her. It was a stronghold to say the least. The entrance had two Anbu on duty, followed by several different security checkpoints. The front door opened into a hall with three separate doors with several guards at each and even had an overlook at the second floor with just as many men. They had left the area for an elevator that was the size of a small room.

The elevator had a short, white haired Anbu with a mask that had just two slits where both eyes should be who was in charge of destination.

He seemed confused to see a man in a wheelchair, but at the sight of the Copy-nin and the Hokage he went to attention and entered a code on his console that only he and the five man squad in the shaft above knew.

"Interrogation," Tsunade said and soon they were all several floors below the building.

The elevator wasn't cramped, although the silence didn't help any of them as they approached the lowest floor.

"Would it kill someone to put some elevator music in," Taro asked and noted how everyone appeared to roll their eyes.

A small chime released them into a dark thirty by thirty foot room with a rather deteriorated Sasuke unconscious on a table with numerous machines.

"Just like we left him," Taro stated and tried to roll further forward only to have Shizune hold him in place.

"Show some respect," she chided and tilted her head toward Kakashi.

The copy-nin was at a loss with all the emotions that he had inside of him. He was glad to see his student, but sad it had to come to such an end, and mortified that he couldn't stop him before he got this far. He kept up with Tsunade who began a diagnostic jutsu to see if there was any possible way to wake him up.

Taro was disappointed since he had to just sit in silence and wait, but all was not lost as he reached behind his place on the wheelchair and to Shizune's shock brought out a container that had a yellow tail sushi roll.

Tsunade turned and gave him a death glare, but it didn't seem to affect him as he munched away on the roll and tossed a few bits of pickled ginger in after.

She did her best to ignore him and sighed when she couldn't find any way to wake Sasuke up. He wasn't brain dead, but his heart just couldn't put out enough blood. That was only the first part of the problem as she realized the poison limited the amount of ATP in the body; by inhibition of the citric acid cycle. That meant even if she could get the blood flow up, he wouldn't be able to move, which would prevent conversation of any sort. She scratched her head and thought, only to have Taro look at her with a smug expression as he picked the last grains of rice off the plastic container.

"Do you have a plan, Taro," she asked as he wheeled himself up and pulled a pair of shots out of his jacket.

"Yep," he responded and moved up toward his head.

"What are those?"

"A shot of adrenaline and Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide."

"You want to wake him, by the use of an alternative energy pathway."

"Exactly," he said as he put the shot of adrenaline into the male's chest and put the other injection into the carotid artery on the left side of his neck.

"Doesn't matter, he needs an outside stimuli to wake hi…," she cut off as Taro removed what looked like a peanut sized green ball from his food container and with expert skill pulled back Sasuke's upper lip and smeared a large amount between his teeth and upper gum.

"Wasabi," everyone questioned at once.

He took a step back and raised three of his fingers only to have the Uchiha erupt with life. He yelled and forcefully spit, but it more just oozed out a green slime from his lips.

"Where am I," Sasuke slurred as he had trouble with the burn that rushed through his brain and nostrils.

"What's wrong with his eyes," Kakashi asked as he looked over the young male before him that couldn't open his eyelids.

"Temporary side effect of some poisons when taken with chakra stimulants," Taro replied and watched as Tsunade and Kakashi got to work on his plan.

"You're back in Konoha, Sasuke," Kakashi explained and had to hide the pain he felt to see him so weak and fragile even if he deserved it.

Sasuke tried to move, but couldn't so much as close his fist he felt so weak. He couldn't even see as his eyes were sealed shut. But, he still managed to think and needed to only know one thing.

"Itachi…is he dead?"

"Yes," Tsunade responded and was a bit unnerved to see him smile at the fact he had gotten his vengeance.

"The joyful family reunion aside there are other circumstances that you need to be made aware of," Taro began and pulled out the papers he kept underneath him in a metal case to for safety.

"Who is that?"

"That doesn't matter. You only have about eight minutes before you suffer acidosis from all the lactic acid in your blood."

"I don't care about my life, I killed Itachi and that was the only ambition I had left."

"What about the lives of your teammates?"

Sasuke went silent and seemed to be troubled by the subject. He actually hadn't thought about them, except for the times that they were close in their pursuit of him. It felt strange to be void of emotion toward either Sakura or Naruto. It just had been so long that he honestly had started to forget what they even looked like.

"I don't care."

Taro grit his teeth and knew he could solve the situation the same way he managed to fix clinical conditions. He sighed and in a childish act struck Sasuke in his groin with a punch. The Uchiha hacked in the pain, but realized he couldn't do a single thing to stop it.

"Taro," shouted all the other occupants of the room.

"Sasuke, there are many incentives if you decide to help out your teammates," Tsunade cut in and wasn't shocked when he only grunted and appeared to not want to interact any further.

Taro rolled his eyes at the thought. He could understand all the thoughts she had to bribe him, yet it was superfluous with the Uchiha male. The boy had done so much to avenge his clan and had even gone to the extent to abandon his village and friends. It took guts to do that, but it also took an incredible amount of stupidity. Although, it did leave room for some possible persuasions he could try.

Everyone seemed shocked when Taro got close enough to Sasuke that he could've bitten off his ear. Everyone appeared silent and figured each of them could give it a shot to try and reason with the unreasonable male.

Although, when Taro retreated he pulled out the documents and awaited a response with an aura of confidence.

"Sign where," Sasuke asked as Taro put the item right by his hand, which wasn't able to even move.

"Ready," Taro stated as he removed a third and final shot from the carry case in his chest pocket.

"Taro, what did you," Tsunade was cut off as he injected Sasuke with another needle and he was able to slowly lift up his right hand. It was nearly instantaneous as he opened and closed his hand and Taro placed a pen into his grip.

Sasuke wasn't able to properly see, which made the signature look more like a scribble rather than a legible signature. But it looked good enough to hold up so long as there were other witnesses who signed it.

"Guard," Taro called and waited for a man with a scorpion on his mask to enter.

"Read and sign the witness section," he explained and watched the last piece of his plan came together.

Everyone appeared clueless to him as he nodded his head and smiled as he started to wheel himself out.

"Come on," he said to everyone who just kept their clueless eyes on him.

None of them cared nor knew if they could understand the mind of Taro Masahiro. Although, he seemed to usually know what he was up to and they all figured that the current situation called for some faith.

The group exited the room and immediately made their way to the elevator to get as far away from the issue as possible. None of them spoke to each other, but Taro appeared far more confident than usual as he decided to carry himself out on a pair of crutches that were collapsed on the back carry pouch of his chair.

He handed the paperwork over to Tsunade who decided the best place to hide them was in her robe for safety. Because, there wasn't a man or woman alive that could get into her clothes.

As they left the place of torture a familiar old face made itself known as he arrived with a pair of masked Anbu for his "protection."

Danzo had eyes in numerous places in the village and when he was told that Tsunade, Taro, and Kakashi had arrived at Anbu headquarters he was weary of their intent.

"Strange company for a visit to prisoners," Danzo stated as he noticed nothing strange on their person.

"I wasn't aware the council elders were interested in the Hokage's social interactions," Tsunade retorted to the nosey male.

"I can see the reason for your presence here Hokage-sama, but I see little reason for theirs," he said and pointed to the group around her.

Shizune gulped for a split second, before she came up with a viable excuse.

"I am the Hokage's assistant," she added and everyone appeared to follow suit with practiced ease.

Kakashi was about to say his reason, but Taro suddenly put his arm around him.

"When I heard about the Uchiha's capture I figured Kakashi was in need of a shoulder to cry on," Taro added and noted the small glare of disgust Kakashi gave him.

He was by no means a male that wore his emotions on his shoulders, but he had to play the part and like any ninja was able to turn on the tears in an instant. He even went as far as to rub his exposed eye into Taro's shoulder who with believable care embraced his male friend.

"Say one word of this to anyone and you won't wake up the next day," Kakashi whispered to him.

Danzo felt sick to his stomach at the image before him, yet it wasn't that far off as the he figured it probably would take a toll on Kakashi Hatake who had managed to now get two separate Uchiha killed in his lifetime.

"I take it Sakura Haruno will serve you a purpose soon," he inquired at Taro who continued to "comfort" his friend.

"Yes, the clan restoration procedure will take place soon."

"Procedure? Why not just take what is rightfully yours?"

"She broke my leg with a single kick, I don't want to imagine the damage if she had both legs around me," Taro explained and tried not to puke as the image of Sakura Haruno in only red lingerie with a "seductive" finger on her lips. In fact, the thought sent a shiver down his spine.

"Well I have matters to attend to, Hokage-sama, Shizune, Masahiro, Hatake," Danzo stated as he approached the large doors of the compound.

They all seemed to catch their breath and figured it was time they all departed. Kakashi abruptly pushed Taro away, which nearly made him fall to the ground.

Kakashi had held himself back at the time of the confrontation, but he needed to go someplace that he could think and the memorial for their fallen ninja was as good as any.

Tsunade took her leave home with Shizune right behind her.

Taro rolled his eyes at the fact he had to take care of so much paperwork lately. He honestly wondered if he should have Mist assist him, but he figured he had a few loose ends to tie up at his office.

* * *

*Konoha Hospital*

He had been released from the hospital, yet he found himself right back in his office despite that. He looked at his new plant propped near the window cill with a piece of meat nearby to help attract files. He wondered if he needed to worry about moisture, but he decided he could counteract that by the addition of more water.

Taro knew the paper work would be safe with Tsunade, but now he just needed to go down to the restricted area of the hospital. The decision to leave had nearly been made, but he examined the current state of his room and figured he couldn't abandon his plant.

The office itself was fine mostly, except for the paint everywhere and a broken door glass window. He figured Anko would be back and he needed to catch her red handed if she decided to break more of his possessions. He ventured back to his desk and opened one of the drawers on the left. He first removed a picture frame that he placed on the desk along with a spray bottle.

The bottle had a sinister concoction inside of it. The spray looked clear when you applied it to something, but when you mixed it with another chemical it turned the skin that it touched dark blue. He gave the plant a few quick sprays to coat it, but managed to get some of the mist on his picture frame.

"Damn," he grumbled as he put the bottle back and searched for some gloves to clean up with.

"Masahiro-san," said the voice of a female he didn't figure to hear from.

"Miki," he questioned and was quite surprised to see her at the hospital given the wealth she had now.

The small female entered into the room, but in a rather deep blue silk dress by what he could guess.

"I know this isn't a good time for you, but I wanted to check-up on you before I left and say I was sorry for what's happened," she explained and smiled. She was glad to see him on crutches, it meant he was in recovery.

"Left," he questioned as to why she used that word.

"I purchased a small section of coastal property and I plan to live there from now on."

"I didn't think you would go to such lengths to get away from me," he said with no little sarcasm as he turned about.

"That isn't the reason, I assure you," she began in a panic, which only made Taro shake his head in how finicky she was.

"I am aware of the circumstances and know you will be happy closer to the ocean," he dead panned and went about his search for some gloves.

Miki sighed as she figured he wouldn't have any well wishes. She stopped for a second before she left and wanted her last words to him to be kind.

"I pray Kami will light you a path to happiness, Taro-kun," she said and exited.

Taro took a second behind his desk and looked out of the window to clear his mind. His ears perked when his office door started to creak open. It was a trifle thing, but he figured he could be nice once to Miki. After all she was about to leave so there was no worry she would hint to anyone he had a good side.

"May Kami guide you to a safe place where sorrow and pain ceases," he spoke and turned about to see a rather scarred up older male's face.

Danzo had heard the comment and didn't so much as open his one good eye at it. He just stood there and let Taro stew a bit in the fact he had said a nice thing to one of his least favorite people.

"I'm sure you will forgive the hour of my visit," Danzo offered with fake sympathy and entered through the door.

"Yes, it wasn't as if I needed rest," Taro responded and reminded himself to not assume anymore.

"I take it the leg is a bit of trouble," he questioned and remained on his feet before the desk.

"Not at all," Taro responded as he moved about some more on his crutches despite the pain they caused in his armpits.

"I decided to come by and discuss some matters with you."

"What matters?"

"You knew about Sakura Haruno's fate, yet decided to protect her?"

"Clan rights do protect her as my property. I'm sure you're aware."

Danzo kept his stoic face set and stood in front of the door to block it.

"Can't stay, I need to rest. Doctor's orders," Taro said and attempted to move around the obstacle.

He brought the crutches around and found his problem managed to move in his path and prevent any possible getaway route.

"You continue to insult me and I want you to realize that clan laws won't protect you from me," Danzo explained as he walked over to the desk and picked up the picture.

The frame was old, based on the cuts and cracks of the black painted wooden edges. Inside the frame was a picture that made the old man smirk. It was a photo of the snake whore Orochimaru left behind and Taro. Anko had her hair down and had her hand pointed toward the fact Taro's younger self had longer hair than her and a shared smile. He made a small circle around Anko's head and pushed down hard enough to break the glass and made sure Taro saw the action.

"Neither can they protect the people that you actually care about," he dead panned.

Taro bit his lip and kept his stare locked on the male to keep his mask of confidence on. In the ninja world confidence and the ability to hide ones emotions were key, but Taro still had trouble when it concerned Anko.

"Tomorrow I will submit a list to the Hokage of possible candidates to bear the Uchiha clan. Make any actions against me and I assure you my grief will become yours," he explained and exited without another word.

Taro didn't make a move and turned his head down in defeat as Danzo left. He was sick to his stomach as he wondered if his choices would affect those around him. But, he realized that something needed to be done about Danzo before he tried to end him or someone else. He felt like an idiot when he recalled that he kept a pair of gloves in his coat pocket. He put them on and when he removed the picture and dropped the frame into the bucket he usually kept acetone in.

"_Maybe this could work for me_," he thought as he filled the bucket with acetone and made his way to the restricted area of the hospital.


	11. Remission

A/N: I have returned with quite a large update. I do hope everyone enjoys this chapter and that I can get back to writing. This summer has made it difficult to find the inspiration to write a new chapter so I need all my faithful readers help. Please review so I can pop out another wonderful piece for you to enjoy.

* * *

Naruto felt like his head was a few sizes too small. His body ached all over and didn't benefit from the stinging of his eyes when he opened them. It felt like some fever dream since he figured yesterday didn't happen, because he couldn't remember much of it.

"_What happened? All I remember is that we saved a woman from a spider nest and she bit me,"_ he recalled and went though the images of the past day, which appeared hazy at best.

Naruto tried to use his other senses to see if they hurt as well. He strained his chest to inhale and smelled the distinct scent of melon, which was the same as when he was at the Daimyo's. His tired eyes rolled downward and viewed a familiar dark haired female who was sound asleep with her upper body on top of him. Her head rested against his chest while both her hands grasped onto his jacket on each side for security.

He didn't even have the strength to feel shocked as he lay there and made a series of blinks. The pain returned to his body as a throbbing headache, which did little to assist his mental faculties. He tried to speak, but only dust came out his throat was so parched. Naruto took in his location and noticed that they were inside a tree by his best guess. The entrance was cloaked with foliage and to his great joy there was a canteen to his left that he hoped was full of water.

He reached with desperation, but the object mocked him as it rested just out of range. He felt trapped. He didn't want to move and wake up Hinata, who looked worse for wear from the ordeal she had tackled alone.

An idea suddenly came to him as he inched his right hand carefully down his leg. He tried to get to his weapon pouch, but it was squished shut by their combined weight. He frowned at another failure, but saw the kunai pouch on her right leg was just within reach. He stretched with his clumsy left hand, yet with multiple attempts finally freed the cover button and got a finger through the loop of a kunai. He smiled when the kunai provided the extra few inches he needed to hook the canteen by the carry strap and reel it in.

Hinata stirred as he got the item, but to his relief she cuddled further into his chest for more comfort. He didn't want to cause a scene, so the best idea he could come up with was to allow her to rest and get back to 100% as well. He opened the canteen and, with want, poured a large amount of water down in a single gulp.

"_Stupid,"_ he thought as the muscle movement it took to swallow vibrated his chest and only further agitated the pale eyed female.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata groaned as she held on tighter and turned her head to the side so Naruto could fully see her face.

"_How often does she dream about me,"_ he wondered and noticed something on her face.

Hinata's pale skin was covered with a layer of dirt and soot. Her face also wore the distinct signs of tears. There were clean lines that lead down her skin from the corners of her eyes to her chin. The next thing he noticed was the dried blood on her hands, and cuts located on her forehead. Naruto normally wouldn't notice such details, but with her sound asleep he had plenty of time to examine her.

"_How bad was it for you when I got poisoned,"_ Naruto wondered and found it ironic how their roles had taken a turn.

He had managed to save her several times on their last mission, yet here he wascrippled and had to rely on her strength. He was impressed with all she had done. She had managed to remove the poison from his body and set up protection for their shelter.

"Incredible," he whispered as she rubbed her face against his chest again.

Naruto felt his cheeks turn rosy. He never got this close to a female without a fist implanted into his cranium. As the fluid content of his brain increased he realized that the warm soft flesh that pressed into his left side were her breasts. He did his best to control himself, since they were on the ground asleep together.

Too many thoughts raced through his mind, which included the thought of whether or not this made them something more than friends. He felt a nose bleed start up, but with trained instinct squeezed his nostrils shut with his free right hand. The movement caused Hinata to groan and reposition herself, which only further pushed her boobs into his body.

Naruto felt the situation begin to alter for the worse as a certain part of his anatomy stiffened at the contact, yet it only seemed to grow firmer as it was technically the morning for him.

He felt his inner self scream at the fact he couldn't wake her now in their current predicament. Then again, Hinata wouldn't kill him if she woke up, but a bloody nose and intimate contact would definitely give her motivation to do him harm. He took a few deep breaths and tried to sidetrack his brain in hopes that his lower appendage would shrink down.

"_What day is it anyways," _he questioned and could just make out the darkness outside.

"_Guess we're stuck here for awhile,"_ he thought and tried to preoccupy his mind with anything that wasn't the female cuddling into his chest.

* * *

*Midnight: Konoha, the day prior*

It was a simple mission for someone of his skills, which ate at him while he waited outside of the house. Torune wasn't sure why he was the one assigned to this operation, but it had come directly from Danzo and he wouldn't disobey. His insects had left his body and scouted the home that was clustered with dozens of traps set on all the windows. It was impossible to enter through any of them, yet to a great irony the front door was unguarded.

It would seem odd to leave such a blatant weak spot, but most ninja overcomplicated things for themselves and rarely just tried to open the front door. His bugs undid the deadbolt and chain lock with ease. The task was simple from this point forward as he walked through the house to the bathroom. He didn't have to worry about Taro's return, since Danzo had explained he would distract the doctor.

He found the bathroom on the second floor and located the bottles of body wash and shampoo. He took a moment for his bugs to note the specific location of the items on the shelves. It was common that ninja would place certain objects in a home or camp a set distance from another. The length was customized by each person so they could detect any form of espionage.

For centuries the Aburame clan studied insects, and were experts on their forms of communication and courtship. In addition, the use of chemicals to stimulate arousal or attraction in insects was true even for humans. He removed a small vial, which was filled with a clear liquid, from one of the scroll pockets of his Chunin vest.

The normal dose of the chemical was a single micro liter, yet there was a quarter liter in the vial. Not to mention, the batch he had made was extremely potent and would excite any female who smelled it. It was an entirely artificial response to the person who wore it, but the elder council was concerned with the bloodlines of the village and not a stable relationship.

He administered half of the vial into the body soap bottle and the rest into the shampoo to ensure an entire saturation with Taro's next wash. He set the bottles back in place and even had the decency to lock back up as he exited.

"_That was simple enough. Now to do the same for Hatake," _he thought and walked toward his next location.

* * *

*Present day*

The man rolled over in his bed as the many sounds of birds outside his window called at him to rise. He opened his right eye and rotated away from the sun. He rubbed his hand through his silver hair and decided that noon was pushing the limits of his laziness. However, he wouldn't know if it was his limit unless he tried to go further.

Kakashi made an overzealous stretch of his muscles and heard a few pops and creaks from his bones. He was certain he wasn't old, but he sometimes wondered if all the years of practice would catch up with him. However, if Gai hadn't fallen apart with how he trained he probably had nothing to worry about.

His attention turned to the picture frame on his dresser that he had put face down so he could rest. It wasn't often that he had trouble sleeping, but the guilt over his recently captured student troubled him.

"_Couldn't hurt to visit the memorial,"_ he thought and raised himself out of bed.

With the warmth of the season he had decided to sleep in a pair of boxers and his mask. This was fine as his windows faced a nearby alley so no one had a chance to spot him through a window. He took a few steps and noticed that his shirt from the night before was near the bathroom. Kakashi had several items on the floor and he knew each where each of them belonged.

He performed a summoning technique and Pakkun appeared with a "Yo,"

Kakashi sniffed the air and didn't sense anything strange with his senses. Pakkun began on the floor and slowly caught the scent of a foreign material. He continued until he pinpointed the soap bottles as the containers with the doctored chemicals.

"I don't know what it is, but it makes my nose itch," he said. Kakashi didn't want to take any chances, so he immediately took the bottles and dropped them into the trash.

"_Probably a prank_," he thought, but there was still something about it that put him on edge.

The primary thing was that someone snuck into his home, which meant there was the possibility of dangerous foul play. However, there was nothing of the sort. That and he wondered what exactly the foreign compound did. Would it make his hair fall out? Change the color of his skin?

Kakashi merely sighed and figured that he shouldn't worry himself too much about it. Besides, it wasn't like any ninja would overlook the condition of their bathing supplies.

Taro had decided to take a late morning, which meant he was allowed to sleep in till ten then drag himself out of bed for a shower. However, it was impossible for him to do so when his cast needed to remain dry. Therefore, he had to settle for a soak of in the bathtub. He poured body soap into the tub and overflowed it with bubbles as he added hot water. He slid in and stewed in the soapy water for about half an hour and decided he was clean enough to leave.

It took him the same amount of time to dry as wash, but it all worked out, and he did leave prior to noon, so he was still on time for the 1 pm procedure. He had managed to squeeze himself into black pants and a collared white shirt, because he needed to be comfortable to use crutches to navigate the village.

"_I should just hire someone to carry me around,"_ Taro thought as he stopped by one of his favorite lunch locations.

" The Gilded Lily" was a small business that served several traditional meals; mostly just sushi, and it had recently branched out into fish sandwiches. But he questioned that it involved several types of fish slices between a pair of soy wraps and rice. Nevertheless, it was his favorite place, since the couple that ran the place didn't annoy him.

He ordered and was given a "sample" sandwich to try along with his crimson curry, butterfish roll, and wasabi fire paste. He moved in line to pay and wasn't surprised to see it was entirely of women, since fish was a good diet meal. He only had three females in front of him, but things from there appeared a bit strange.

A woman with a long brown pony tail and in a white kimono stood in front of him. She appeared to have a series of shakes and covered her mouth with her free hand. Taro raised an eyebrow and noticed that there wasn't any condition she had so it was probably just a nervous reaction. She turned and gave him a surprised expression and suddenly took off, which wasn't any consequence to him.

The female in the front of the line finished and the last one was an Anbu in full combat gear complete with a katana blade on her back. She had short black hair with a single streak of red that ran down the right side of her head. She suddenly noticed something and turned to look at him. She paid for her meal and when she left pulled her animal mask up enough for her to wink at him with a deep green eye.

Taro ignored the situation as he approached the male at the counter so he could pay. The old man shook his head as Taro struggled to reach for his wallet.

"She paid for your meal," he said a bit surprised by the act of charity.

Taro decided to just progress toward the hospital as his lunch dangled from his right hand in a bag. However, he was behind schedule and needed to take his short cut. The path cut through a park nearby the Inuzuka and old Uchiha compound. He kept at a steady pace, despite the container of food that threatened to throw him off balance. Taro wasn't too shocked to see several Inuzuka out in the park with their canine companions as they practiced what appeared to be training drills.

"Hope I don't get any dog hair on me," he whispered out of caution, since he knew how well those darn dog people could hear. Taro decided not to worry and made his way across the park.

He struggled to get through the thick grass and occasionally soaked patches of earth, yet it was still quicker than the normal route into the entertainment district of town. Taro didn't want to admit it, but the short route was good because it kept him out of Anko's path. This was because her favorite dango stand was near the hospital, which meant she always tried to get him to buy her lunch when she saw him.

She had done that to him on numerous occasions since the academy, which left him with negative memories correlated with dango. Once she stuck him with a massive bill and he had to work the debt off.

Taro shook his head with a smirk so small even the most trained ninja would've missed it. That was until he noticed a female Inuzuka blocking his path. He felt at a loss for words as she appeared to be intrigued by him. She had a pair of red triangles on her cheeks and black hair that was spiked up a bit.

"You smell like an Aburame at mating time," she said and held her nose as it seemed to offend her.

Taro's eyes expanded as he tried to comprehend what she meant, but he needed to get to the hospital. He had already thought up about a dozen offensive comments he could say, but he had thought about it and wouldn't be able to operate if he got torn to shreds. However, his business had taught him how to deal with females.

"Wow, are those real," he asked.

Tsume Inuzuka was taken off guard by his sudden question, but took it as offensive since he seemed to look down at her breasts, or so she thought.

"Excuse me," she growled and showed her canines.

"Your teeth, they're so white," he responded and put on his pretend nice demeanor he used when he could go on missions.

Tsume was taken a bit off guard by the compliment, since a few stories had circulated about Taro Masahiro. It was a surprise to receive such a nice compliment when she put a lot of effort to maintain her teeth.

"Yes, they're real," she answered and gave him a smile that let him see her entire smile.

"That is impressive, how do you keep them so white?"

Tsume felt pretty good about her smile and figured it wouldn't hurt to mention one of her secrets to him.

"You know those dental dog treats don't just work on canines," she said with a smirk

Taro smiled, but secretly he wanted to throw up at the thought. However, the Inuzuka had done far worse with their companions. He recalled previous complaints from villagers that were marked by dog urine, but that was refuted to be dog when examined at the hospital. He shrugged the thought off and continued his conversation.

"I will have to try that. Where do you buy them?"

"We make them at our kennel, but if you asked nicely you could probably get some," she said and appeared to open up a little.

"Thank you, but I need to go," he explained and hobbled away the best he could.

Taro felt disgusted that he smiled and "acted" nice. However, if he smelled like an Aburame he needed to meet with Shibi to understand how that was possible.

* * *

Naruto couldn't stand it, since he'd been awake for two hours and stuck in the same place with little chance of escape. Hinata had remained stuck to him and he needed to take care of "nature's" call, since he had drunk the canteen dry. He wished for a way to move Hinata, but if he managed it the same as their last mission, he would be in a worse situation.

"_How can I move her,"_ he thought and considered his options.

Naruto had several ideas, but each ended with her awake and him having to deal with a grouchy Hyuuga. Hinata stirred a bit as he began to fidget due to the high pressure in his bladder.

"Naruto-kun," Hinata sighed with affection.

He just needed to find a way to replace himself to successfully escape, but it wasn't exactly like he could manage that.

"_Wait, I can do that,"_ he thought and struggled to place his hands together so he could form a proper seal.

His hands were just able to touch and he hoped that the formation of the shadow clone wouldn't be loud enough to wake her.

"Kage-bushin," he whispered and a clone popped into existence.

The clone positioned itself on the opposite side of Hinata and delicately pulled and rubbed her shoulders, which suddenly caused her to roll into a more comfortable position on the clone's chest. Naruto got up instantly and dashed through the exit.

He didn't dare venture too far, since he had no idea if that weird female ninja was still about. Also, the conditions outside were miserable, the rain had already soaked the entire forest. Then again, the sound of water did help him go. Naruto felt yesterday's events start to return and actually recalled how they escaped from Hensa.

In addition, he had no idea what kind of poison could do so much damage to his body. The Kyubbi was immune to most poisons, but even it appeared to have trouble with that specific toxin. He wondered if the fox demon actually had a weakness.

He finished and upon his return saw that Hinata had rolled off the clone and it had spooned her and even had put its arm out so she had a pillow. Naruto rubbed his head and felt flustered by the sight. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but the image of them together appeared nice, from the outside anyways.

"_What am I thinking? It isn't like Hinata's interested," _he reassured himself and took a seat.

Naruto didn't enjoy the fact that he was alone with his thoughts, especially when it concerned his personal relationships. He didn't mind as much now that he had so many friends that cared for him, but there were things that his friends couldn't give him. He observed his clone there with Hinata in its arms and couldn't help the sadness that crept out of his heart. His thoughts returned to his time at the academy as he sat on that solitary swing and watched several children run out and greet their parents.

"_What was that like,"_ he thought again as he imagined the warmth of an embrace that was enhanced with affection.

Iruka had embraced him before; and he did look at the male as his father figure, but there was just something that he still needed. He wondered if only a female could provide it to him, which made sense as the hugs he got from Sakura were different. He knew there wasn't any love behind it, but it still was drastically different from Iruka's.

Naruto couldn't figure out why he had thought about that. It had been years since the academy, yet it still made things clear that while he did have friendship he lacked companionship. He had attempted to obtain it, but the fist of Haruno Sakura had left a bit of a negative impression in the physical area of his life.

He sighed and noticed a few drops of water had fallen from his face. His hand moved on its own to comb his fingers through his blonde spikes to remove the raindrops. But, he noticed that the water had come from his eyes when his vision blurred. It was usually easy for him to hide all the sorrow he was burdened with from his younger years, but he did have his moments when he broke down.

Naruto wiped his face with his arm and began to wonder what it was like to have parents. What had his parents been like? Did they enjoy Ramen as much as he did? Did they plan to have him? The blonde's head started to steam, he was in such deep thought. He looked over at his clone, and wasn't sure why; but he felt he still needed something in his life.

* * *

Taro wondered if maybe Kami knew what he was about to do and made the day dreary to show her displeasure. He was certain it would work, although he also knew that Sakura was still a factor he couldn't fully account for. He hated the fact that things intertwined so much, yet he had no control and no reason to complain.

He rotated in his office chair as Izumo and Kotetsu arrived and seemed to know what they were there for.

"Has the operation area been prepared," Izumo asked as he pushed some of the hair out of his face, since he hadn't had the free time to get it cut.

"Yes, go and fetch Haruno and make certain that no one else knows about this."

"Hai," both men responded in unison and vanished.

Taro felt the room was secure after he waited a moment and pushed with all his strength to get his heavy desk to move a few inches to the right. He felt like his heart was about to explode from the sudden effort, since the pain he felt fatigued him. He leaned the best he could to the side and found the right piece of tile on the floor that gave way.

The small white tile was a decoy, underneath there was a small hand sized container that looked like a miniature white bento box. Taro removed the item and replaced the cover. There were no signs that anyone had touched it and the cooling feature of the container was still functioning. It was a challenge for him to get on his crutches and carry a container on each side of his body.

"Masahiro," questioned a rather angry nurse that he happened to tranquilize prior.

"Can't talk, off to lunch," he explained and took off the best he could until he reached the elevator.

He was thankful when the doors opened and he had the steel box to himself. He wobbled as he reached the button for the fourth floor and held it down. The elevator didn't ascend, but descended until it reached the fourth basement floor that none of the normal staff knew about.

The doors opened and he felt relief to see that the guards hadn't arrived with Haruno, since no one was at the double doors.

Taro kept the containers secure in his hands as he approached the blue steel double door and had to lean to his left side to push the door open. Inside there were three female nurses who all gave him a similar stare, which hinted at the fact he was the cause of all the weirdness.

Taro groaned at his misfortune since he knew he would affect all of them.

"Get out," he shouted loud enough to make all of them jump.

* * *

*Ten minutes prior*

Sakura was in an examination room and had been left with a hospital gown to change into, but she couldn't bring herself to be naked since she knew what was about to happen. She stood like a statue for several moments as the thoughts of the past few days continued to plague her. She had thought to abandon the village, but she couldn't bring herself to do such a thing. She knew where her loyalty lied.

Her most desperate thoughts had been to either take her own life, or find some technique that would make her barren. However, if such a technique did exist then all of Konoha's Kunoichi would've been taught it in case of capture. She dug her nails into her palms and in desperation looked around at the room to see if she could scavenge something sharp to slit her wrists.

But, she noticed that anything that was sharp or even remotely dangerous had been removed prior to her arrival.

"_Figures Taro would take my desperation into account,"_ she thought and still wondered if she could overpower Izumo and Kotetsu to make an escape.

She looked at the window and noticed that she could just jump to her death, but as she tried to work up the nerve she was smacked down by her inner self. Naruto's face came to mind and she realized she couldn't bring herself to do it. It would be bad enough for Naruto to find out that he lost his "brother," she didn't want to think how it would destroy him to lose her as well.

She admitted defeat and removed her clothes, changing into the medical gown in record time. She made sure to place it on backwards to prevent someone from seeing her ass. It didn't feel real, what was about to happen to her; yet she knew this wasn't a nightmare she could just wake from.

A couple of knocks on the door signaled that her two escorts were concerned with the time it had taken her.

"I'm ready," she called back and climbed onto one of the prepared beds on wheels.

"_I don't want to be a mother,"_ she thought as a few tears escaped her eyes, but she hid them as she placed the blankets over her face.

* * *

Taro felt like he were about to lose his mind with the problems he was up against at the moment. The female nurses had gotten all weird around him, which meant he had to remove them and complete preparation on his own.

"Stupid fu…," he grumbled as he finished a scrub down to ensure he wouldn't contaminate the sample he was about to place.

From a medical standpoint he was fine, but from his logical one he knew Sakura could still make another attempt on his life. Although, he was certain her tune would change if he could complete his mission.

He had already lowered the operation table so he could manage the procedure from his chair. The only difficult part had been to sterilize a wheelchair so he could move about the clean environment. It took some time for him to remove the frozen sample from the bento container and thaw it out for proper use.

He had decided to cleanse the sample the day before and now prepared to inject it directly into the uterus to ensure fertilization.

A series of knocks alerted him to Sakura Haruno's arrival and a second later she was wheeled in by Izumo and Kotetsu who abruptly took their leave. However, they decided to wait outside the double doors, just in case Taro was the one who needed an emergency medical procedure.

Taro made sure to note that the sheet had been pulled over Sakura's head and the only thing that confirmed it was her was the pink locks that peaked out of the top of the bed.

"Haruno?"

"Go to hell," she responded with a heavy dose of hatred.

"It's you. I need you to sign the release form."

The sheets started to move and Sakura sprouted out from them, a disgruntled look plastered onto her face.

"If I refuse, will you stop the operation?"

"No, but it is standard procedure."

Taro showed Sakura a clipboard that had the standard medical release attached. He raised the front page so that she could only see the signature line on the one behind it. Sakura raised an eyebrow at the fact there were two separate pages as the form was normally double sided. She groaned and accepted her fate, so she signed it without any care to read it as she had done so hundreds of times prior.

Taro reached to the side of the bed and produced the two leg supports that had been implemented to ensure the process could be done in any room of the hospital.

"Alright, get into position," he said with no care in his voice as he commonly did when he practiced medicine.

Sakura grit her teeth and refused to move as she really wished that the doctor was anyone besides Taro. It was just so awkward to show her most intimate area to someone she had no feelings for. Not to mention, she was about to carry his child even when she hated his guts.

Taro waited patiently and started to warm the speculum in a hot sterile cloth. Sakura propped up her feet, but kept her knees together to prolong the inevitable. He sighed and moved himself between her legs so he could see clearly.

"Haruno," he said and noted that she closed her eyes tightly and brought her legs apart and revealed herself.

Taro was unusually gentle as he applied a lubricant to the speculum and with merciful movements inserted the device into her core. He noted the extra resistance, but some firm pressure managed to get it entirely into her. He turned the screw at the base so that he had a clear view to her cervix.

Sakura was so confused. She felt like she was being molested against her will. However, at the same time some smell in the air started to make her ache in her loins for physical attention. She began to breathe in a steady rhythm to control the heat that began to pulsate through her.

"What the hell are you putting on me," she demanded certain that Taro had drugged her with an aphrodisiac to encourage ovulation.

Taro gave her a confused stare as he moved the tray of tools over for her to see properly.

"There is the lubricant, a syringe, a catheter tube, and semen," Taro said and showed Sakura the transparent milky fluid, which caused a blush to rise over her face.

Sakura closed her eyes and turned her face to the side to avoid any further eye contact with Taro. She didn't know why he constantly had to mess with her, but wondered what his angle was.

Taro didn't seem to notice as he inserted a swap and noticed the viscosity of her lubrication, which implied she was at her most fertile.

He reached over to the table and obtained a modified syringe that he had attached a catheter tube to it so that it could fit through the cervix. Before he inserted the item he noted the heavy breathing of Sakura and had to give her a questioning eye.

"Everything alright?"

"Fine," she shouted, which in itself freaked Taro out. However, it probably had something to do with whatever was on him.

He held the end of the tube in two of his fingers and did his best to reach the cervix. He accidentally bumped the upper wall, which caused a moan from the female.

They both locked eye contact with each other and shared a slight blush at the awkward situation they were in. Taro was the first to recover as he got the end of the tube through the cervix and began the injection directly into the uterus. Sakura gasped at the feel of warm liquid that started to radiate throughout her entire body.

Taro removed the tube gently and placed a cervical cap in place to ensure none of the genetic material poured out. He moved back and clamped Sakura's legs into place and reclined the bed to allow her to lie back.

"Hey!"

"Relax, you need to stay on your back to increase the chances of conception. But, it will take about an hour."

"What the hell am I supposed to do? I haven't even eaten!"

"There's some homemade curry in that bag," Taro said as he left the room.

Sakura sighed deeply and reached over to the bag. She wondered partly if it was poisoned, but opened up the small plastic bowl and dipped her finger to sample the food. Her eyes widened as she started to rapidly consume the spicy mixture.

* * *

Tsunade tapped her fingers against her desk and awaited the arrival of the elders. It was one of the worst things, since she hated to just wait and do nothing. She slowly chewed on her lip and debated if she had the time to drink some sake to ease her nerves.

However, she looked over her shoulder to see Shizune, so she couldn't do such a thing while she worked.

Tsunade wasn't a lush by any means, but she got bored out of her mind and alcohol tended to make things seem more fun. But, no sooner did she reach for that drawer did the doors open and in walked Homura, Danzo, and Koharu.

"Hokage-sama," they all greeted and despite their age decided to remain on their feet.

"Danzo, Homura, Koharu," Tsunade responded and awaited the list they had prepared.

Danzo removed a scroll from his robe and unrolled the small item since it only had ten separate women on it that had been determined by the elders to be the best breeding candidates.

"Hokage-sama, we've decided that these females are the best feasible kunoichi and villagers that could produce a viable Uchiha heir."

"I have the agreement of all the elders that this is the only list you will provide?"

"These females were selected based on previous ninja experience, age, and the ability to mold chakra. We assure you, Hokage, there are no better choices in the village," Homura added.

"I will send word to all of them at," Tsunade was cut off as the doors open and in came a panicked Taro who was pushed in by two anbu with masks that were mirror images of spirals.

"We have a situation. The village needs to be locked down at once," Taro shouted as he was brought in, but the raised volume lost its thunder as he had to be wheeled in.

"Masahiro, I believe you should be on bed rest if you plan to recover in time for your ninja evaluation," Danzo stabbed as Taro didn't even appear able to be offended.

"Clan materials have been destroyed and you take it as a joke," Taro asked as he was brought to a stop before Tsunade.

"What clan materials?"

"The Uchiha sample has been destroyed, not to mention the eyes of Itachi Uchiha were taken as well."

"That is impossible. The security section of the hospital can only be accessed by specific individuals of this village," Koharu explained as a sudden realization dawned on all of them.

"Exactly, all of the people in this room have access so one of us is guilty of treason."

"This is preposterous," Homura shouted.

"Choose your words carefully, Masahiro-san," Danzo said and was unsure what this was about.

The Uchiha eyes were not of much use to him, but with Sasuke's genetic sample gone he had no future supply of eyes or root ninja.

"It isn't possible for the vault to be breached, is it," Tsunade said and knew full well why.

Beneath the Konoha hospital there was a single door guarded by two Anbu who took twelve hour shifts and only ever traded places with the other. The door they guarded used a special key that required the blood of a council elder, or the Hokage to open. Behind that was a three hundred foot corridor that was clustered with traps that activated, should the door be breached.

The traps were designed to kill; and to make matters worse, the designer set them up from the inside out so there was no safe route. If someone were stupid enough to get past all that they could reach a room that required the chakra of a Masahiro clan member to enter.

"Improbable, not impossible. Fortunately I took additional security measures when the clan materials were deposited and was witnessed by these gentlemen," Taro said as he removed two spray bottles one with a red cap and the other with a black from his chair's carry pouch.

Everyone in the room gave him a concerned look as he came to Shizune who backed up behind Tsunade.

"I need to demonstrate," he explained and held out his hand and waited.

Shizune didn't trust Taro; but, at the same time, the village needed to know who was guilty. She sighed and offered her left hand.

Taro sprayed her with the red bottle first and nothing occurred. However, he then sprayed her with the black bottle and followed with the red, which caused her entire palm to turn blue.

Shizune jumped at the reaction and worried that she was poisoned, but to her relief there was no immunity response so she was safe. Besides, Taro was a doctor, so he'd do no harm intentionally to someone.

"Alright, I sprayed a dose of this on the dish that contained the Uchiha genetic materials. Everyone hold out your hands," Taro said and noticed how all the elders retracted their hands behind their backs.

"How will this help? The culprit would've washed their hands or worn gloves," Koharu shot out, which only made Taro roll his eyes.

"Not likely. These chemicals won't wash out of the skin and it can permeate gloves that aren't designed to stop the transfer," Taro reassured and wasn't surprised to see them keep their hands hidden.

Tsunade sighed and knew that it was only typical all of the council wouldn't subject themselves to such a test. But, she figured she could put a halt to this by being the first to submit.

Tsunade revealed both her palms and Taro went to work as he sprayed a chemical onto her palms and no reaction took place.

"Danzo, Homura, Koharu," Tsunade stated as all of them with sour looks held out their hands

Taro went from one to the other, Koharu and Homura were both clean. He approached Danzo who with a smirk offered both his palms.

Taro sprayed his left hand and was shocked to see the entire palm turn blue and the other do the same.

"_How did he get some much on his hands? I put the chemical on the decoy Petri dish and there was some on my picture frame, but he only touched that with the tips of his fingers,"_ Taro thought as Danzo appeared to become ready to fight only to have the two Anbu restrain his arms.

"This isn't how it appears," Danzo reassured as Tsunade and even the other elder members appeared disgusted by the man.

Koharu and Homura had known Danzo for years and known he had many ambitions, but they didn't expect him to destroy one of the strongest ninja clans in the world. Tsunade whistled as a squad of ten Anbu appeared and were confused to see Danzo being held.

"Danzo you will be held in custody until such a time that you are found guilty or innocent of the crime placed against you."

"Spray Masahiro's hands, he could be the one behind all of this."

Taro appeared unhindered as he offered the bottle to Koharu who sprayed both his hands and found not a single drop of blue. Danzo grit his teeth and knew he was caught, but now wasn't the time to resist. That could wait until he reached Anbu headquarters. The guards took Danzo and vanished.

Koharu and Homura appeared shocked, but deep down they knew a coup d'état had been on the horizon. However, with Danzo now contained there was the possibility that if Hibiki got a hold of him, they could be implicated.

"Hokage-sama, we will take all the steps necessary to find the truth in this matter," Homura stated and wanted to figure out a plan to solve the current problem.

"I am sure, however if there is a more sinister plot then we expect I can't have the council elders unprotected. I will have you each assigned a squad of Anbu for you protection," Tsunade added

Koharu and Homura both pretended to be grateful, but they knew it wasn't for their protection so much as for the Hokage to keep an eye on them.

Both of them nodded and left without another word. They had plenty to worry about and both of them had to consider ways to save themselves should the axe start to fall.

Taro sighed in worry, but it was more a controlled happiness that he had managed to catch Danzo in a trap. He turned his chair to leave, yet he recalled the second reason he had come to the Hokage's office.

"Tsunade-sama, I have an important document you need to look at," he said and brought out a document that appeared to be a normal medical release form.

She gave Taro a critical stare and was more surprised when he noticed his mistake and removed the front page. Her mouth got a sour taste in it as she noticed the type of document it was.

"Didn't you give me this document when you got Sasuke's signature?"

"No, the one you got was the secondary copy, this one is the original."

Tsunade couldn't believe he had managed to get all the signatures he needed to make it official.

"Will this hold with the council," she asked to ensure they were out of the woods fully before celebrating.

"Yes, but it isn't legitimate without the Hokage's seal," Taro stated and rotated his chair around.

Tsunade saw what Taro was hinting at, which was that he never even saw the item to prevent accusations of foul play. She felt obligated to stop it. However, if she did make her mark it was certain to be more beneficial than negative.

She removed the seal from her desk drawer and placed the mark in the right corner to make it completely official.

"You were never here," she said and gave a disgusted look at the document.

"I wish that every day," Taro said as he rolled himself out.

* * *

She felt so comfortable, yet she wasn't quite sure why. Hinata felt like she had a nice warm pillow beside her, but it had more resistance than one.

"_Why is there something soft in this forest,"_ she wondered and opened her tired eyes.

Hinata felt a blush wash over her face when she saw a fully awake Naruto next to her. She realized she had slept on him, but the thing that confused her most was why he hadn't moved away from her. Did he by chance enjoy the feel of her against him?

She couldn't find words to speak and wasn't anymore relieved when Naruto turned his head and gave her a toothy smile.

Hinata couldn't help herself when she started to panic and pushed him as hard as she could. The impact was rough enough that Naruto exploded into a cloud of smoke. Her head slipped from its resting place and crashed into the ground.

"_Where is the real Naruto-kun?_" she thought and despite the soreness of her muscles raised her head.

She had to blink a few times to clear her eyes of sleep and spotted the real Naruto against one of the walls with his head tilted back to relax. She sighed in relief and was glad Naruto wasn't aware of what occurred.

Naruto had his eyes closed, since he still felt some effects of the poison in the form of light sensitivity. He came back to reality when the memories of his clone came to him. The sensation of Hinata's body against his made him sweat, since he hadn't anticipated the comfort contact with her would bring. A rush of red filled his cheeks as he looked toward the entrance to gather himself.

Neither of them dared to break the silence; but Hinata was the first to try, even though she hadn't eaten and risked fainting.

"Do you feel better, Naruto-kun," she asked and checked to see if she could get one of her food pellets out.

"Yeah, I feel a lot better now," he smiled in good spirits, despite the previous day's events.

"I was worried you wouldn't recover when you passed out."

"Sorry about that, I should've known that something was odd about that female."

"Yes, it made little sense that someone in such high quality clothes would be traveling with traders," Hinata added certain that he noted that peculiarity.

"Yeah, of course," he laughed as a drop of sweat rolled down the back of his head.

Naruto was a bit embarrassed that he hadn't noticed that, but he did still have trouble with seeing beneath the obvious. However, he did find it odd that the female had gotten free of the silk with her mouth when he had trouble with a sharpened kunai.

Hinata meanwhile had gotten out the container of food pills and was happy to see it hadn't been damaged, since she had such misfortune with her other equipment. Naruto felt his stomach grumble and figured he couldn't get a cooked meal with all the rainfall outside.

Hinata's head turned to him when she heard the sound and figured it wouldn't hurt to offer Naruto one.

"Naruto-kun, do you want one," she asked as she walked over with one of the pills in hand.

He laughed at the fact she could hear his stomach growl.

"Thanks," he replied and readily took the food pill.

He ate the item and was glad that even Hinata's food pills tasted great. It was such a relief to enjoy tasty food when on a mission. It alleviated both of their hungers, but it also ensured that Hinata wouldn't faint from their close proximity.

"What should we do from here," Hinata asked with a bit of a yawn since she was still tired.

"I don't know. Shouldn't we complete the mission?"

"It doesn't seem like we can go anywhere though."

"Guess we've got no choice but to wait it out," she added and noted the sudden crash of thunder.

Naruto made a small circle on the floor as he thought of what he could do for the next few hours until the downpour cleared up. Hinata sat down across from him a bit more silent than usual as she started to rummage through her sling bag with vigor. Naruto raised an eyebrow when he noticed a scroll.

Hinata had decided that if she was unable to hold a conversation with Naruto the least she could do would be to look at the jutsu scroll she was given. She unrolled the item and was surprised that the instructions didn't appear to be written by Taro. She could tell they were too polite even in written form.

**Water jutsus are the most versatile and tactical techniques that a ninja can possess. It can be used for defense, offense, and even diversions. However, there are drawbacks. Water is required to use all of these techniques and while water from the body can be used and generated by chakra this can lead to dehydration and death. **

Hinata got quiet and continued to go further into her studies, but became more oblivious to her companion as she read more. She was quite surprised that a glossary had been put at the start and listed the jutsus from easiest to hardest.

**To begin with, a technique similar to the "leaf charm" can be performed to grasp the proper movement of chakra around a fluid, since it differs from a solid compressible object such as air and earth. **

Hinata recalled the Leaf charm technique from the academy since it was the first test to determine if a ninja could mold chakra properly. She went further and noticed that diagrams were included to assist her.

The first diagrams showed a person pour a palm full of water into their hand and, with adequate flow of chakra, formed it into a sphere and was able to transfer it from one hand to another.

**The flow of chakra is best done in a circular motion to create stability. Make sure to spin your chakra in the opposite direction of your cowlick. **

Hinata took a second since she wasn't too sure what a cowlick was exactly. She was certain it was a medical term and unfortunately medic-nin training focused more on the internal organs and less of the exterior of the body that wasn't vital to survival.

"That's just like the rasengan," Naruto said and pointed to the picture on the scroll.

Hinata jumped as she suddenly noticed the immediacy of Naruto to her. She hadn't even heard him move and sit down next to her, but that was the least of her worries as she recalled the red chakra when she was near him. Naruto smiled when she jumped and laughed a bit to ease his own embarrassment. He had just been interested in what she was up to and it wasn't his intention to freak her out.

"Sorry about that," he said and looked right back at the scroll to determine more from the images.

"Its…fine," she replied a bit taken aback still.

"_What if that chakra comes out again? No, Naruto-Kun isn't what I saw then. Besides if he trains with me maybe we can learn more about each other,"_ she reasoned and decided to focus again on the water jutsus.

"How is it similar?"

"It requires you to rotate chakra in the opposite direction of the spiral on your head."

"Spiral on my head?"

Hinata wasn't sure what to be more confused about; the fact there was a spiral on her head, or that it was referred to as a cowlick. She wasn't about to argue why it was named that way, but she wished to further her progress.

Naruto tilted his head to the side and showed the back of his head to her and even parted his blonde hair so she could view his scalp. She blinked when she noticed the distinct pattern on the back of his head made by his hair.

"Alright you've seen mine so let me see yours," Naruto said and waited for her to turn her head.

Hinata blushed at his poor choice of words, yet she kept herself focused and did the same. She did her best to part her hair, but there was a lot that she wasn't able to hold it all with her hands. Naruto smirked and pulled her hair apart so he could see the spiral.

"Alright, the opposite spin direction will be clockwise for you," he said and took his hands out of her hair

Hinata blushed when he started to touch her head, but figured Naruto was probably focused more on the training aspect than her.

She placed the scroll down and decided that she needed some water if she was going to practice. Naruto seemed to read her mind as he held out his canteen to her. Hinata took it with a small grin as she cupped her right hand and filled it to the brim with water. She took a deep breath to center her mind and molded chakra in her hand as she normally would with a gentle fist strike, but instead of a sphere the water suddenly jumped out of her palm.

She looked confused and tried again, but this time the fluid splashed up onto her face. Hinata tired to think of a way to grasp the new type of movement, but it wasn't like any of the techniques they taught them at the academy.

Naruto observed how she struggled to control her chakra flow and maintain shape. He empathized with her as he recalled how much it hurt his hands to get the Rasengan down. However, he figured it would be easier since she only had to maintain control of an actual fluid, which was step one of the Rasengan training.

"Maybe you should use both hands," he said and did a small demonstration as he brought a miniature rasengan into shape.

Hinata observed in quiet amazement and activated her Byakugan to precisely see how the flow of chakra originated in his hands. She noticed how one hand spun the chakra and the other merely provided a framework to keep the object in a specific shape. She mimicked the position of his hands exactly and carefully tried to mold the water into a sphere.

The fluid warped and bulged in several different directions and exploded. Hinata refused to stop at each failure and continued to try several times. It felt completely different for her since the Hyuuga clan had, for numerous generations, focused on just the use of their gentle fist style; which made it even more difficult to diversify with ninjutsus. Hinata started to feel the coils in her hands begin to burn before she finally got the water to maintain the circular shape she had planned for.

"I did it," she said with a joy as she removed her left hand and the fluid exploded once again.

Naruto could only smile back at the fact that she had gotten down the first step that took him about two days to figure out. But, it took more training to maintain the shape with a single hand. He figured it would be easier for her, since she had someone to demonstrate, unlike Jiraiya who made him have to find his own way.

"You'll need to form it more before you can get it to hold shape with a single hand," he explained and was happy to see Hinata continue even as he clarified why it hadn't worked.

It took nearly another hour for her to continue with the formation, but eventually it took shape and she was able to delicately pass the sphere from one hand to another. Hinata smiled as she felt thirsty and drank the orb, which instantly lost shape as it entered her mouth.

"What's the next step," he asked and felt invigorated to see her succeed.

Hinata felt grateful to have help, since Naruto did seem to know how to teach properly. She figured that was probably due to the fact that he had to struggle so much that he knew all the pitfalls everyone could fall into.

**When the proper formation has been mastered the next step is to remember the hand seals and use enough chakra to hopefully complete the task. However, all these techniques will not work until the exact amount of chakra is mastered.**

She continued further in and noticed the first technique was one that would come in handy.

"Water Release: Water clone jutsu," she said and unrolled further to see a side note along with the proper hand seals.

**Water clones are similar to shadow clones in that they can be used for reconnaissance and to assist in the speed of training. However, these clones don't separate the user's chakra in half with each additional clone, since water clones use fluid for mass and shape. Unlike shadow, which use pure chakra to give them mass and form. **

Hinata read further and noticed a specific side note that she recognized from the one in her bag, which made it Taro's handiwork.

**If someone knows how to make shadow clones it would be beneficial to observe and ask for assistance. Try to perform this jutsu sparingly to prevent death. Make sure to recall that this jutsu requires fluid so any will suffice, yet keep in mind different liquids will require their own specific chakra manipulation.**

Hinata felt her face blush at the implications, yet she just let her blush set on her face as she decided to ask for more help. She rubbed her fingers together as she gathered what courage she had and asked for Naruto's help.

"Um, could you help me train, Naruto-kun," she asked with a small stutter in her voice

Naruto gave her a bright smile as he got to focus on one of his favorite activities; training with a friend.

* * *

*Anbu Headquarters*

The arrest had gone as it normally would, but that was until they arrived at Anbu headquarters. Danzo had decided to go quietly as he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, but it worked out as a majority of his root ninja were stationed at the center of operations. The second they had moved him into the elevator the Anbu squad on the roof and his escorts were incapacitated as a swarm of bugs enveloped them and shut down their bodies.

"Fo, Torune," he said as the pair entered through the roof

Danzo wasn't surprised to see they remained loyal to him, despite the charges that were already surely known by the entire Anbu.

"No alarm has been raised, therefore we can use an underground passage tunnel to escape outside of Konoha," Torune stated as he moved to open the bottom of the steel box.

"No, take me to Sasuke Uchiha. I have another set of eyes I need to obtain," he said and noticed how neither of them defied him and followed without question.

Danzo had previously broken into the secure vault underneath the hospital to obtain Itachi's eyes and the sample of Sasuke Uchiha, which he had already taken and given to a root medic to impregnate a female who was loyal to him. It was a risky move as it didn't guarantee him control over the Uchiha clan, but it would provide him with more Sharingan eyes to use for his Izanagi technique.

The elevator came to a stop outside of the interrogation rooms, which opened and revealed a single Anbu on guard with a scorpion mask on.

"Shimura, Fo, Torune, none of you are permitted to be down here without," he was cut off as the two root nin released a barrage of kunai.

A wall of dirt rose from the floor to protect him and moved like a wave that pushed the trio back into the elevator. . The Anbu kicked the table Sasuke was on to the far side of the room as he would need the space to properly battle, since his primary mission was the protect the Uchiha even at the cost of his life. Torune's bugs made quick work as they ate the chakra infused wall.

The wall dissipated and the elevator was filled with dust from the tear down of the rock. Torune was the first to appear and took off his gloves for close quarter combat, which was his strength as he could inject his bugs then. The scorpion masked anbu unsheathed his katana and fended off the bug user with trained ease. His attention diverted to the auburn haired male who had a mind transfer seal in place and aimed at him.

He formed a quick series of one handed seals, which caused another wall between him and the Yamanaka. Fo swore and tried to reposition himself as he needed a clear line of sight to activate his technique. Torune kept pressure on the Anbu who was on the defensive against two separate opponents. The Anbu lifted his mask to expel a giant fireball that destroyed the wall he created and formed a powder cloud to shroud him. Fo and Torune couldn't tell where the male was, but stalagmites erupted from the floor and skewered Fo in place by his feet and wrists.

"Impressive for an Anbu," Torune's voice called out still on guard as to where his opponent was.

The scorpion masked anbu resurfaced across the room near Sasuke and figured he could now escape with the Uchiha.

"Wind release, Pressure bullet," Danzo stated and with a gust of wind flattened the male against far wall along with the Uchiha on the bed.

The impact alone made him dizzy, and he was certain that he had a concussion. Before he could rebalance himself Torune struck, but he blocked the blow with his left hand and countered with a kick.

The masked Anbu began to shake as the exposed skin on his arm began to turn black with miniature bugs that spread and devoured his muscle and flesh as they went. He felt himself weaken and dropped his sword as he fell on his rear and put his back against the wall both figuratively and literally.

"My bugs will finish this one Danzo," Torune explained as he stepped back from their enemy.

Danzo noticed how the man continued to struggle in a vain attempt to complete his mission.

"Some good advice would be to know when to walk away and when to run away," Danzo said as he removed the mask to see the face of the person they had fought.

Behind the mask was a male face with long silver and white hair and eyes that were completely black. He even had a secondary mask over his mouth and nose that hissed as it filtered the air for him.

"I know when to run, you treasonous fuck," he spat as his body turned into a cloud of smoldering ash and it rushed by Danzo.

The embers flew by Danzo and he raised his left arm to defend himself. It hadn't been the smartest thing to do as the heat on the inside of the dust haze immediately turned his skin black and even started to cause his bones to weaken as the phosphate crystals inside broke down.

Torune released his insects to try and devour the chakra from the male, but they were instantly incinerated as the cinders burned hotter and exited out the elevator shaft.

Torune assisted Danzo the best he could, but it wasn't simple as he noticed his left shoulder started to lower and actually broke off due to the loss of structural integrity by the heat.

The ember cloud reached the main hall and recollected into the male, but absent his clothes that were incinerated the second he changed forms. His arm was no longer black, but the void created by the bugs started to fill with blood. The entirety of his body ached and it wasn't any easier as his filter was gone and he had little to clean the air as his lungs were damaged from the first time he turned to ash. He forced himself to reach the nearby master alarm seal, which sent out a blast of chakra through the ground that alerted every Anbu within a thirty mile radius to the emergency.

The male felt his hands shake more as he figured the Aburame member probably poisoned him. It was a sad end to his life, to die at the hand of a fellow Konoha nin; but he did his job and it wouldn't be in vain. He took a deep raspy breath and collapsed on the floor among his other fallen brothers.

*interrogation room*

Danzo had felt the shock from the emergency signal and cursed his luck. He had managed to lose an arm in combat, but it didn't matter. He could take the cells from his right arm and make a new one to hold more Sharingan eyes. Though, none of it would come to pass if he got caught. He was glad that the fight hadn't caused Sasuke to be killed, since he wanted to collect another pair of eyes.

Torune grabbed Sasuke by the head and pulled one of his eyes open as he planned to remove it. He noticed how the eyes were active, but the user didn't appear awake as he ripped the right eye from his head. It was a bit reckless to remove them this way as it could permanently damage the optic nerve, but he had no time to be precise as he put the eyeball into a glass container. He reached for the second eye, but halted when he noticed the left eye's Sharingan pattern began to change shape.

The eye seemed to shed tears of black tar as Torune erupted in the black flames of Amaterasu. The man shouted in horror as his entire body began to burn even as his bugs tried to protect him, which was impossible as they weren't able to survive such high heat. He panicked and ran about to escape the flames of hell. Danzo saw the black fire and knew that he had to cut his losses and escape, which was easy for him as both his companions knew they would die serving him.

He already noticed the temperature of the room start to swelter and the combined screams of both his companions start to drown his thoughts. He entered into the elevator, but noticed that the power had been cut. It was a simple thing for him to overcome as he focused chakra into his lungs and blasted a hole into the floor of the lift. Danzo saw his escape route, but the small chance he had slammed shut as he forgot about a back draft.

The Amaterasu burned for seven days and was unable to be extinguished by normal means, but the fire acted like a normal flame in that it grew with increased air flow. The open shaft pulled the flame into the elevator, which effectively ignited all of Danzo's clothes and spread swiftly to his entire body. He had thought to activate Izanagi, but he would lose the Sharingan that allowed him to use that technique and he couldn't remove the seal on his right arm without another hand.

In a vain attempt to escape he stripped out of his clothes, but even that wasn't enough as a single bit of black flame touched his skin. Danzo couldn't understand how this happened. It made no sense that an unconscious Uchiha could activate his blood limit, but in the end it was ironic that the very clan he exploited would bring about his end.

It wasn't supposed to end this way. He was meant to take the position of Hokage and place the needs of the village over that of the short minded individual population. His body had already started to become numb as the heat burned his nerve endings shut so all he felt was cold. Danzo felt a smirk cross his face as he was about to reach his end. He blamed Taro for this, but it was fine as he wouldn't have to wait long to see him again.

The loud rumble of explosions was the last he heard as the elevator shaft was destroyed in an attempt to restrict the escape of the traitors. However, it served the dual purpose of preventing Amaterasu from devouring the entire building and a large portion of the village.

* * *

She had been stuck in the hospital for the entire day, which wasn't such a difficulty when she slept for about five hours after she ate the curry. She did wonder if Taro had drugged her to ensure she would remain relaxed. However, she also knew that could injure the developmental process of the child within her.

"_I'm pregnant,"_ she thought with despair.

Shizune had arrived to perform a diagnostic jutsu on her, which showed that her estrogen level had spiked. This confirmed that the procedure had been a complete success. Sakura had given her thanks to her friend, but now she merely wanted to be alone.

She had wanted to cry about the fact she now was bound to be a mother of a child she never wanted. It wasn't the way she even figured it would happen, since she always imagined she would one day settle down with a kind man. However, that dream had been smashed the day Sasuke had abandoned the village and his friends for power.

She had redressed in her standard red clothes and was on her way return home.

"_Well, I guess I have no choice left,"_ she thought and knew exactly what she had to do the minute she got away from seeing eyes.

"Haruno," said the voice of Taro Masahiro as he hobbled around on his crutches.

"_Of all the people, Kami, why him,"_ she wondered and had to repress the murderous rage she felt.

"Are you expecting," he asked and kept pace with her the best he could as she attempted to walk faster than him.

"Yes, now leave me alone," she spat and started to power walk away from him.

"Fine, but just know I'm your personal doctor until the Hoka…," Taro felt his mouth snap shut when Sakura sprinted back and ran straight into him.

He was taken off guard and knocked sideways off his supports, which caused him to smash his back into the nearby window. He had to take a moment to recover, but wasn't too surprised as she put her hand on his chest and applied a fair amount of pressure on him. Taro was worried about the situation, since she could easily turn him into a red stain on the wall if she punched him.

Sakura wouldn't hold back her anger any longer, but she still was uncertain about the fact she was aroused whenever Taro was around. Her rage was enough to drown her physical reaction and she lost control and began to shout.

"I hate you! You selfish, heartless, orphan bastard! Why would you do this to me? You couldn't find a way to make my life miserable, but you made me carry this abomination inside of me," she finished and had to take a moment to inhale to ease the rage she felt.

Taro took a second to let her anger set in as he felt the pain behind her words. It struck a chord inside him, which made him recall the way he treated his father after his mother passed. It was situational rage, which would hopefully not be further agitated by pregnancy hormones. He checked down the hallway and noticed no one around due to the late hour. It was a gamble to say anymore, but he needed to help even if she wasn't his favorite person.

"I never thought you would feel that way about your ex-teammate."

"What?"

"It isn't my child inside of you. The bloodline of the child within you belongs to Sasuke Uchiha."

Sakura had to take a moment to hold her breath. She couldn't wrap her head around what had happened, since the dream of Sasuke and her having a child had long been shattered. But, somehow Taro had managed to give her a single shard of that broken wish. Her mind collected and she retracted her hand from the male's chest.

"This changes nothing between us," she said with venom in her words.

"Oh, well I still hate you too," Taro answered and remained where he was, since he had dropped his crutches.

Sakura took a second to hold her abdomen and felt her sorrow start to melt in light of the new information. It was sad the way this had to occur, but she figured it was better than to carry around Taro's spawn.

"Thank you," she whispered and bent down to give Taro his crutches back.

* * *

*Late Evening*

Hinata had to turn her face away when she had the same issue happen again with the water release technique. It was supposed to be a simple technique that allowed the user to generate water by the conversion of chakra. Normally after the hand seals a person would allow the new water to flow out of their mouth.

However, one of the common issues was the fluid would escape out of the nose as well. This was either because, the person put too much chakra into the technique or they didn't hold their breath, and when they inhaled opened the airway to their nose.

The Hyuuga felt her face go all red as Naruto offered her his compress to wipe her nose and mouth with. She took it with little argument and felt ashamed that she failed again, but they had been at it for several hours now. So far, Hinata had figured out the basics of shape manipulation and water generation, but she still needed to practice each technique several more times. The first set of water clones she created were obvious copies as they bulged in awkward areas.

"_That was so embarrassing,"_ she thought and recalled that of the pair she created ones breasts were excessively large and the other had a stomach that appeared almost pregnant.

Naruto had given her his honest feedback that it was a good start, but she also noticed the small drip of blood that came from his nostrils when he noticed the large breasted one. She did make sure to note that Naruto liked large breasts, which made her feel like her chances to have a relationship with him were better.

It was wonderful for her to have Naruto to train with, since he did have plenty of experience with the shadow clones and he was just great to have around. He was very supportive of her, even when she felt like she had totally failed; but he never saw it that way.

Naruto had enjoyed their time together thus far, since he took joy in anything that could possibly make him stronger. However, he had felt a bit jealous when he found out she had gotten a scroll full of water jutsus. He wished so badly to know what elemental affinity he had so he could learn some cool skills too. Nonetheless, it was fun for him to help her.

"What did it say again to help," he asked and looked at the little notes written on the top and bottom border of the scroll.

**Water release can be hazardous if done improperly. The best way to perform this is to perform the seals and take a deep breath before the expulsion of fluid. **

Hinata took a second to focus her chakra again and perform the seals.

"Water release," she said and after a deep breath she began to expel water from her mouth at controlled rate into the canteen.

They had figured it would be the best solution to put the water back into a container as it would ensure the ground they slept on wouldn't get too wet. It also helped her learn to control the amount of chakra she used, since the flow was restricted by her mouth and the container size.

She shut off the flow of chakra before the canteen overflowed and breathed an exuberant sigh as she got the technique down. She smiled and felt a small burp come up that she was, thankfully, able to stifle. Naruto got up from his seat and stretched as he had been up and down a bit to help her and he needed to rest. His body was still a little stiff from the poison, but he wasn't about to tell her that since he could muscle through it.

"Alright, one more time with the water sphere and we'll call it quits," he told her and stood beside her with a rasengan in hand to give her a model to follow.

She poured some of the canteen water into her right hand and did her best to cause the sphere formation despite the pain that throbbed in her chakra coils. Hinata had to admit that she had pushed herself before with the gentle fist style, yet the pain she was in from jutsu training hurt exceedingly more. It made her look at her crush with new found appreciation as he formed the Rasengan with trained ease while she took about a minute to get the water to form and struggled to keep it that way.

Naruto looked over and smiled at her, since with each attempt at the water orb the time it took her to form it decreased. It was great for him, since all jutsus even the Rasengan were all about tiny steps toward perfection. It was difficult to combine all the steps together, yet he saw she didn't have much a problem with that since her control was better than his. She had even managed to get the formation to hold with a single hand.

She gave an audible gasp when the sphere melted in her hand and her fingers began to shake in pain. Naruto negated his Rasengan and was at her side the next second. He wasn't sure exactly had happened, since her hand looked perfectly normal. However, he figured she over strained her coils and wasn't sure if it was possible to get a cramp in one's chakra system.

Hinata felt like her muscles had locked up, but she could move her hand. She felt herself relax as Naruto took her limb and started to slowly massage the palm of her hand. It made her smile at the care and attention that she received from him. She had to grimace her face at times as he pushed into a fragile spot, but he responded quickly and eased the pressure.

"Thank you," she hissed as he struck another sore spot.

"It's the least I can do," he said.

"I'm at my limit then," she explained and was surprised she couldn't last longer, but she had never just performed jutsus for about eight hours.

"Yeah, but you did great."

"That does help with the soreness," she laughed as she suddenly realized he was still massaging her hand.

Naruto had just started to rub Hinata's hand and for some reason the feel of her skin on his felt nice. He immediately noticed her blush and figured he had overstepped his bounds and released his hold.

"Sorry."

"Oh, no I didn't mind it."

"You didn't mind," he asked and wasn't sure if she really meant that or if it was just an attempt to not hurt his feelings.

Hinata didn't want to come on too strong, but she needed to let him know that it was okay.

Her face seemed to glow a bright red as she put her hand back out toward him.

"Please, that did help," she whispered and did her best to control her heart that was already racing.

Naruto carefully took her hand and did what he could as he rubbed and squeezed her tender appendage. She did feel better with his touch. She had wished for so many years to have physical contact with him. The situation had started as miserable, but the time they had together made it feel worth it; so long as they survived.

Hinata felt like things couldn't get any better that was until both of their stomachs gurgled in unison. The pair stared at each other and smiled shyly as neither of them really knew what to say.

"Dinner," Hinata partly asked as she reached for her food pill container in her pack and offered him another.

"I can't wait until we get to eat a hot meal tomorrow."

"Hopefully we can find our way out of the forest, but I couldn't find where we are on the map."

"There weren't any landmarks?"

"No, all I was able to find were more trees," Hinata explained and tried to think of what they could do.

"What should we do," Naruto asked as he watched Hinata pull out their map and place it down on the floor.

Hinata scratched her head with her left hand and didn't seem to notice that Naruto still kept a firm grip on her right as they figured out what to do.

"Maybe if we head south we can come to the coast line and follow it to the Great Naruto Bridge...," Naruto stopped when he felt his feet get soaked.

He turned and saw that some of the rain runoff had rushed into their shelter, which caused them both to move their equipment to the only dry spot that remained. The sudden move wasn't too bad, but the dry area was only large enough for them to both sleep scrunched up together.

"Do you want to sleep first," Naruto offered as they both knew it was late and they needed to be well rested.

Hinata had to think about it for a little bit, since she did feel like she needed to recover from her intensive day of training.

"_I should take the chance to rest, but if I do Naruto will be miserable and I don't want him to think I'm selfish," _she thought and tried to think up a suitable alternative.

Naruto gave her a concerned stare as she seemed freak out at the chance to rest.

"We can share it if you want," Naruto said and to his relief the worry on her face melted away and raised her temperature.

"Shouldn't one of us keep watch," she stuttered out and felt her body find some relief in the chance she could get away and prevent further embarrassment.

"No, we haven't been spotted yet and the rain will keep us from being tracked," he explained and felt confused by her tomato red face, but had to admit the fact she hadn't fainted lately definitely made their situation easier.

The pair started to get comfortable as they lied down. They both had to curl into a fetal position at first and to Hinata's surprise they had to face to each other. She felt her body cover with goose bumps as she felt the warmth of Naruto's breath on her skin. In addition, her heart rate spiked and she knew that there was no way she could sleep in this position.

She rolled over and faced the tree and felt like she could begin to relax, which was until Naruto moved a bit closer and she felt his body heat. Hinata felt like she were about to hyperventilate due to their proximity, but what made it worse was when he had to move closer for comfort.

"_We're spooning,"_ she thought and did her best to just act natural, which only made her freak out more.

Naruto just felt plain uncomfortable as he came into contact with her soft body. He was new to the whole physical contact thing, which was obvious as he wasn't even sure where to move his arms. But, he soon found a comfortable spot as he put them both to his side and quickly fell asleep the second he put his head down.

Hinata could only lie on the ground for several minutes before she turned her head to check on her companion. Naruto was sound asleep, which was obvious as he seemed to breathe at a steady rate. She couldn't help it, but she smiled happy at being close to him. The last day had been an emotional challenge for her, yet here they were safe and sound together.

She turned back away and finally felt like she could calm down, since the prior day still weighed heavy on her heart. That female Hensa was still out there and that alone made her feel on edge, but the rain had thankfully given them both a respite. Her thought process suddenly crashed as a tired Naruto wrapped his right arm around her stomach.

Hinata closed her eyes and relished the intimacy, even if it wasn't by conscious choice. Nevertheless, she enjoyed the contact and longed to make it a permanent occurrence.


	12. Chronic Pain Part 1

A/N. Hello my readers, I would just like to say it is wonderful to be back with another update. I look forward to more reviews and I would like to share this double update with my wife/editor ElysianKiss. She made the case that I didn't provide you with anything to read over the summer and that means you deserve more. Please review so I won't take as long as last time. Enjoy!

* * *

Tsunade had to take a moment to collect herself in spite of the irony that they were right back where they started a few days prior. She had to call another council meeting, but this time it was concerning the emergency chakra pulse. She entered into the council chamber with Sakura directly behind her, along with a five man Anbu squad as a show of force. She noticed immediately that many of the clan leaders were on edge, since the last time a pulse had occurred in Konoha the Kyubbi had demolished half of it.

She wasn't surprised to see all the clans were in attendance; even Hatake was present despite his reputation for laziness. The room fell silent as she entered and the five man Anbu squad suddenly materialized in different corners of the room. No one had any idea what the emergency was, but all of them knew that it had to be a grave issue.

Tsunade took her seat and noticed how Homura and Koharu were already in their designated positions across from her. She wanted to know if they had anything to do with the death of seven Anbu, but accusations could be thrown around after she brought worries to rest. She stood in front of her seat and decided to just tell to the council what happened.

"Clan leaders of Konoha, treason has occurred against this village by one of our most trusted elders," she stated and watched as the other two council members sprang to their feet in protest.

"That accusation has been yet to be confirmed Hokage-sama," Homura shouted out against her, but didn't fair well as the sannin quickly retorted.

"Danzo was taken to Anbu Headquarters prior to the emergency signal and was found to have broken into the village's medical vault."

"Such an incident doesn't prove that he is responsible for an attack!"

"Five of the six Anbu that survived have provided a statement and the last will if he awakens, but the fact remains that this incident needs to be remedied," Tsunade said with sorrow in her words.

She gazed around the room and noted a few of the clan leaders had concerned expressions on their faces. It would've been best to assure them of who lived and died, but that would be best explained to them individually.

"What do you plan to do," Koharu asked confused as to what she expected of them.

"Issue a summons to all ninja; everyone is to report to Anbu headquarters to participate in reconstruction and salvage tomorrow morning after a final sweep for hazards is done by Anbu," she ordered and watched as all of the clan leaders nodded their heads in approval.

The room became filled with silence as Tsunade finally took her seat glad to just get that problem out in the open. Though, the fact remained that she had to inform several clans and families about the loss of their loved ones.

"Is there anything else," she asked emotionally tired of all the trouble of late.

"Hokage-sama, what of the Uchiha bloodline," Homura questioned to draw back to an important matter for Konoha's future.

"The sample that was inside of the vault is missing, which means there is no chance to restore the Uchiha clan," Tsunade explained and noticed how Sakura abruptly coughed.

She didn't think that revealing the child inside Sakura was the best idea, but she did have to weigh the options. If she informed the council they would take special measures to protect Sakura to ensure the child in her had a fair chance at life, but there would be questions as to how it was possible. Although as she thought about it, Taro had managed to acquire all the necessary signatures, paperwork, and legally the entire scheme had been pulled off.

"The loss of the Uchiha DNA will place a strain on clan restoration, but the Uchiha clan will live on just as the will of fire we inherited from our past generations."

"How is that possible with Sasuke and Itachi dead," Koharu demanded and appeared abundantly confused even for someone of her age as Sakura moved closer to Tsunade.

"Clan Council of Konoha, I'd like to introduce Sakura…Uchiha," Tsunade struggled to say the final word as she knew it would take getting used to.

The entire council seemed to explode at this newest development, which made many question how this was possible. The sounds and commotion began to dissipate as Tsunade produced the marriage certificate from her robes.

"The Marriage of Sasuke and Sakura had been conducted by me with Shizune and Gam… Scorpion as a witness to the event. Upon request from Sasuke this entitled Sakura the property of his genetic material that was administered to her by Shizune."

"This is impossible, there isn't any way what was done is legal." Koharu shouted, but was silenced when Tsunade had the item taken to her.

The older woman had to squint her eyes to read the small print on the scroll and was shocked to see that all the required signatures were there and the Kage's seal was placed upon it so there was little that could be said about it not being valid. She noticed though that the contract was written too perfectly. While she did respect Tsunade as an intelligent leader there was something off about how broad spectrum it was in that it covered all possible challenges.

The one thing that caught her eye was that it even mentioned that if said female was property of another clan that financial compensation would be provided to the owner. She relinquished the item to be taken back to Tsunade, but she could take her time to further her examination. This was mainly due to the fact she worried that if she protested Tsunade could investigate into any ties she may have had with Danzo.

"I wonder if Taro Masahiro is aware of this union and if he offers his approval," Homura stated as he continued to write down all of the information.

"Masahiro has been informed of this."

"I would like to hear it from him," Homura said, but noticed that the entire room went silent and the place where Masahiro was meant to sit was completely void.

Tsunade's mind began to race with worry.

"_Where the hell are you Taro,"_ she thought with repressed rage.

* * *

*The Burning Leaf*

His brain felt like it couldn't take much more as another glass of poison went down his throat and further inebriated his mind. It was the dumbest thing he could do, since the alcohol thinned his blood practically into water. Taro didn't really care much though, which was why he seemed almost surprised that the glass refilled and he had to drain it again.

"Intoxication at this point of your recovery will lower your chances of keeping ninja status," said the stoic voice of Shibi as he took his usual place to the right of Taro.

"How'd you know I'd be here, bug boy?"

"I followed the smell."

"Touché," Taro laughed at the fact he was still coated in bug pheromone.

Shibi noticed the empty mug in front of Taro and based on the number of lip marks on the edge figured it wasn't his first one of the night. He moved the glass away from the distracted Taro and waved off the bar tender to ensure no more orders would be filled, since another hospital visit wouldn't do him any good.

"Why did you come here, I thought there was an 'Emergency' council meeting," Taro mocked openly without any of his inhibitions to filter an already venomous tongue.

"It finished with the introduction of another Uchiha clan member."

"You don't say?"

"My bugs detected the pheromone on you to match Haru...Uchiha-chan," Shibi corrected himself as it would take time for anyone to make that correlation.

"What can I say, I get around. In case you're wondering the drapes do match the carpet," Taro laughed and reached for another bottle, but found it replaced by a glass of cold water.

"What is the reason for this abnormal behavior," Shibi probed and noticed how Taro seemed to keep his face against the counter top.

A group of females began to filter into the bar and several of them appeared to suddenly notice a perticular black haired male at the counter. It was so odd for many of them as they found themselves hot and bothered as their physical urges seemed to pull them in. They all appeared hungry and congreagated around the male, but were deeply disappointed when the male spun around and splashed his drink all over them.

Many of the females gave loud grunts of anger, but a select few gave Taro a firm slap to the face.

"Guess," he groaned to Shibi as he rubbed his right cheek, which appeared to have formed a swollen callous from the number of slaps from the night alone.

Shibi had known Taro for several years and did respect the man's abilities as a medic. However, in all that time he had yet to see him in a similar state. The sound of the bar grew and this only further hindered his ability to predict why Taro would feel so down.

"Logic dictates that a normal male would enjoy females pursuing him."

"Doesn't anyone care what I think," Taro asked and noticed that the person he was waiting for wouldn't show up, but another female voice grabbed his attention as it cut through the garble of the collected voices.

Across the bar a pair of females had only recently begun to enjoy their evening. Shizune had decided to leave early from work and take a little bit of personal time with Kurenai. She didn't have many friends and she just hoped to get some time to actually vent about her problems. It was difficult to be Tsunade's assistant when the woman seemed to try and cause havoc.

She had decided to also get out some of the envy she felt toward Sakura. It wasn't fair in her opinion, because somehow a girl who was sixteen years younger than her had a child. She knew it wasn't by choice, but she wondered if it was nice to have a life grow inside her. That and she needed to find someone, since she had never gotten the chance to even have sex thanks to Tsunade's constant travel and the debt collectors after them.

"It isn't fair," Shizune shouted as she slumped down to the table top.

"It isn't all that great," Kurenai comforted as she sipped on her water and lime.

"How so, I can't even manage to get a date, but you and Sakura both, man...," she trailed off and drank a bit more from the sweet beer she enjoyed.

"I wouldn't expect you to be so affected by the news."

"It isn't that. You have Asuma to complain to, Sakura has Kakashi, Tsunade has me and Jiraiya. Who do I get to vent to?"

Taro blinked a few times as he could clearly overhear the conversation, but he didn't think it was all that interesting.

"_Least I don't have problems like her," _he thought and decided that with the well now dry it was time to head home.

Shibi tried to support his friend, who for some reason was able to keep himself rather well despite the apparent scent of alcohol that was a shocking miasma about him.

"Shall I walk you home," Shibi offered, but noticed that Taro limped off quite well on his own.

That was until he reached the door and slammed face first into it, which got the attention of the entire bar populance that laughed as he staggered out into the late night.

Kurenai wouldn't admit it, but she had laughed at the drunken doctor. Shizune on the other hand had some sense of mind left and stumbled out after him. She had no idea why she felt the impulse, yet she also knew that Tsunade had informed her to talk with him when she had left work.

She was surprised how quick he was on crutches, since it took her quite a bit of concentration and effort to catch up with him. This made her wonder exactly how much experience he had with controlled movement while intoxicated. The thought alone that he was a doctor generated some scary scenarios.

"Masahiro-san," she slurred and grabbed him by the arm, which made him spin around and nearly bump his head into her's.

"The hell," he asked and blinked a few times to clear the cloudiness out of his vision.

"I...Tsunade-sama needs you at...the Hokage Tower...before," she stumbled to find the correct words and remain professional despite the alcohol that inhibited her fine motor control and inhibition.

"...Nooo," he said for longer than was necessary as he slowly managed to balance with her extra weight.

"I must insist," she pressed harder and made him lean on his casted leg, which was enough pain to slice through the fog of alcohol.

"Fine, I just need to…reach place...first."

"Place?"

"Home, whole plasma treatment for…body," he gurgled a bit as he swayed and Shizune grabbed him to offer support.

"Was drinking a good idea with your current situation?"

"I drink when I'm upset, what's your excuse?"

Shizune kept quiet as she didn't want to really answer that. She had plenty to complain about and also be stressed over, but to vent that to Taro wasn't the best choice.

"You wouldn't understand," she said and was taken off guard as Taro merely started to laugh.

"I wouldn't understand, how many ninja do you know who are crippled," he laughed and noticed the beer bottle that she brought out of the bar.

Shizune turned her face down to chuckle and suddenly noticed that Taro tried to grab the bottle out of her hand. She struggled with him and easily won, since she had both of her legs in working condition.

Taro gave her a defeated look as she smiled at him and drank the rest of the fluid. It was rare for her, but she figured it was time to just let it all out and even if it was Taro she just wanted someone to hear. However, she figured it wouldn't hurt to withhold some information to keep from being blackmailed.

They walked for about twenty minutes as neither of them had the best sense of direction after a couple rounds of drinking, but based on their volume they didn't care.

Taro had complained about his terrible job and the Aburame pheromone on his body. Shizune had offered some advice about a wash in baking soda and peroxide to help tear it down, but that was after she laughed at him for about a minute.

Taro wasn't sure why, but it felt nice to just complain to someone else who had some issues of her own. He had never figured Tsunade had traveled so much or managed to get enough debt to fund a small ninja village. They were merely a block from his house when Shizune stopped him.

Her head felt like she had drunk too much, which wasn't good when alcohol for some reason made her want physical attention. That and she knew that the scent that Taro admitted too didn't exactly inhibit it. She struggled against the ache inside her and felt like she had to get something off her chest.

"I know what your problem is, Taro," she sang at him clearly too drunk for her own good.

"Oh?"

"I think the problem is you care…tooooooo much about things."

"I'll work on that," he said heavy with sarcasm as he noticed she began to flip and catch the empty beer bottle with trained muscle memory.

"I'll prove it," she shouted and tossed the bottle with all her strength, which destroyed one of the windows on his house.

Taro wasn't sure what to think. On one hand she had just successfully shattered one of his windows he'd have to replace it and find the money from somewhere. Yet, he found himself somewhat enticed by the destructive behavior. He was confused beyond reason and noticed an almost sweet smile cross her face that he instinctually wished to mimic on his own.

"You're…"

An explosion suddenly tossed them both back as Taro's house burst into flames and lighted the dark sky.

They both appeared to have a small case of shellshock as neither got up right away, but in Taro's case he just simply couldn't. Shizune blinked a few times and did her best to assess her medical condition, which wasn't anything life threatening. She crawled over and checked Taro with a diagnostics jutsu as he did his best to sit up.

"Are you alright," Shizune shouted to him, since she couldn't hear properly yet.

Taro didn't pay any attention as his ears could only hear the over abundant pounding of bells. His vision wasn't any better as he tried to focus and realized what had occurred. He felt a tear deep down inside as he watched his home and all the memories within it fade away with the ash in the night sky.

"Taro," Shizune tried again and began to check his eyes to make sure he didn't have a concussion.

"No," he responded after a long while and passed out.

Shizune rested her hand on his leg and felt a wet warmth that turned out to be blood that soaked through his cast.

* * *

The first thing she felt was morning dew on her cheek. It was a refreshing thing to wake up to, but she also knew that the comfort of the morning wouldn't last forever. Hinata opened her eyes and as her vision began to clear she realized she wasn't facing the tree anymore. It was quite a shock to her when she woke up to see Naruto's face completely relaxed as he slept.

She panicked, since his expression was similar to when he nearly died from the poison, but she was able to reassure herself before things got out of hand.

"G_ood morning, Naruto-kun,"_ she thought and felt a warmth in her cheeks as she brought her right hand around and lightly rubbed his blonde hair.

"_What if he wakes up,"_ she wondered, but was relieved as he began to form a smile from the physical contact.

She mind wandered as she viewed his toothy smile, which was almost as recognizable as the little whisker scars on his cheeks. She decided to just enjoy the little time she had near him, since it wasn't like they were on any type of time schedule. That was until her stomach gurgled and made him stir. Hinata reached for her sling bag and got her pill container, but to her horror there were only three left.

"_We need to leave before I run out,"_ she thought and popped one of the items into her mouth and got up.

She used her hands to get up, but soon realized that the training from yesterday had its disadvantages. It felt like all the joints in her hands were full of glass and the slightest bend made them grind together. She felt some small tears accumulate in the corners of her eyes and she wished so badly for some relief.

She got up the rest of the way with her legs only and, with the most minimal movements, began to open up Naruto's pack to get some of the medical cream he had used on her. It wasn't that she couldn't ask, but she figured it would be better to let him rest and find it herself. Not to mention, that she figured he wouldn't be angry that she went through his bag.

"_How does Naruto-kun manage to train like this," _she thought as she winced and pulled out the wooden container with cupped hands.

The sighed when she realized that the retrieval of the container was the easy part. The difficulty lay in the removal of the cap when she could barely manage to move her fingers without agony. She sat down next to Naruto and tried to figure out the best plan of attack, but ultimately came to the decision to use her mouth to hold the top and turn it with the palms of her hands.

It felt so weird to open something in this fashion, but so long as Naruto stayed asleep she didn't feel embarrassed by the action. That was until he moved and made her nearly choke on the container.

"_That was close,"_ she thought as she finally got the top off, but had to place it on the ground so she could start to apply it.

The balm had a cooling effect on her skin, which did help to dull some of the pain. However, she soon realized there was a world of difference in the amount pain caused by ninjutsu training compared to taijutsu training. The coils in her arms felt like they burned with every movement she made, but to make matters worse she didn't have the proper knowledge to treat that.

Hinata took some long breaths to steady herself through the aches, which only got worse when she tried to stretch and clenched her fists. She felt like an idiot, but quickly recovered as she felt the twinge in her hands dissipate. She figured in this condition she couldn't be much help to anyone, which meant she needed to resolve it at least for now.

The veins on her face buldged as she activated her family blood limit and examined the chakra coils on her arms. She figured if she couldn't use a topical cream to fix it, then maybe she could alleviate it even if only for an hour or two. The coils in her arms appeared to have bulges, which made her wonder if it was possible to get cramps in one's chakra system. She carefully positioned both hands on her elbows to strike both points at the same time.

"Ow," she partially cried at the sharp pain in both her arms that slowly numbed away. It was a temporary fix that would only last about two hours so she and Naruto needed to reach wave country soon.

"Naruto-kun," she said and waited for him to get up, but he merely rolled onto his right and covered his exposed ear with his left hand.

Hinata giggled at how cute he was, yet she was assertive in her actions as she lightly shook him and he slowly began to come around.

"Hinata...," he grumbled as he swatted playfully with his right hand.

Hinata took a second and looked to see if maybe he was awake, but to her great joy he was sound asleep.

"_Naruto-kun dreams about me,"_ she thought and practically began to glow in the light of her new discovery.

It was a boost to her self-esteem as she felt desirable to the male, but she also wondered in what way he was dreaming about her. She began to try and pick it apart based on the words he said, but she had so little to go on.

Naruto had been sound asleep, yet he began to have an odd dream as he woke up in a bed he had never seen before and in a room he wasn't familiar with. There was something off about the whole interior as it was painted entirely in black. He got up and was surprised to see himself in the Hokage's robes as he noticed movement outside a nearby window.

He felt his guard go up as he dashed through a nearby door into a non-existent hallway, which made him begin to plummet into a giant pool of water. Naruto was shocked by the splash of cold and began to swim toward the surface with all his might. He emerged with a desperate gasp for air, which had a heavy amount of water vapor to it.

The ocean seemed to shrink down into a small waterfall with a tiny pool at the bottom. The sounds seemed to drown out his thoughts as he heard a gasp and noticed a long haired female who seemed to vanish behind the falls to obscure herself from view. He pulled himself out of the fluid happy to see that his chakra still worked, but a voice broke his concentration.

"Naruto-kun," shouted from every direction, but he knew who the voice belonged to.

"Hinata," he asked confused as to how her voice had come from everywhere.

His name was called again only this time it was in Sakura's voice and it sounded just as desperate. He started off in a single direction to try and find it, yet he couldn't help the cold chill that rushed down his spine when the voices abruptly stopped. Out of the darkness a pair of red spiral eyes appeared and didn't seem menacing so much as they were sad.

"Naruto."

"Sasuke?"

Naruto gasped and awoke confused to what the entire situation meant. He didn't enjoy the fear that some of his friends were possibly in danger, but that was the least of his worries as he woke with some grogginess.

"Mor…ning," he said with a yawn as he popped his neck and got onto his feet with a long stretch.

Hinata could only smile at how adorable he was when he first woke, but then again she saw him as adorable most of the time.

"Good morning, Naruto-kun," she greeted and already had his food pill in her hand to offer to him.

"Thanks," he said and gladly ate it.

"Naruto-kun, if we leave now we can hopefully reach wave country," Hinata offered and double checked their map to see that they probably had an hour walk ahead of them to just reach the coast.

Naruto couldn't find any reason to argue that as he had figured he had enough time in their hollow tree and needed to get some fresh air.

He decided to take the lead and cleared away some of the camouflage and to his relief he didn't see a single spider web or person in sight.

"Let's go," he smiled headed out.

They were more than five minutes into their walk when they came to a stop and noticed something. Hinata took a deep breath of the air and noticed the distinct smell of brine, which also explained the low crash and roar of water. Naruto turned to her and gave a toothy smile as they both ran straight toward the sounds.

The forest suddenly ended and the pair were blinded by the amount of sunlight that greeted them. A cool breeze tossed some of the sand into their eyes and it did lighten the mood to actually see the sun. They wiped their eyes and were glad that there wasn't any fog, but it was still cooler this close to the ocean.

Hinata sighed audibly and stretched as the warmth of the light on her skin relaxed her. It wasn't good to be too comfortable when on a mission, but she figured it couldn't hurt to just loosen up for a second.

"_This is so nice,"_ she thought and noticed that Naruto seemed to be confused by how they reached the beach so soon.

Naruto hadn't expected them to be so close, but he did wonder what could have made such a difference.

"How far did you carry me," he asked, but didn't notice the sudden jump of his Hyuuga companion who had gotten a bit too used to the silence and ambient noise of crashing waves.

Hinata didn't know how to respond. She, at the time, was so focused on their survival that the distance and direction that she had traveled hadn't even registered in her brain. The actual time she had been sprinting hadn't even crossed her mind. Not to mention, the fact that she didn't even recall being fatigued or sore. Although, she knew that her love and need to protect him probably was the biggest factor.

"I'm…not sure," she stuttered and poked her exposed toes into the cool sand.

"Maybe you can see the bridge from here?"

"Oh…Hai," Hinata responded and tried to perform her family hand seals, but noticed that her impromptu pain treatment shutdown the chakra flow to her hands.

She felt a bit scattered brained to forgot that would be a side effect, which made her concerned that she wouldn't be able to perform her gentle fist strikes. Her mind focused long enough for her to activate her Byakugan, which felt irritated from overuse the day prior. She extended her sight as far as she could and began to scan in a circle. Naruto looked over his shoulder at her and noticed how she looked so serious with her blood limit active. It was strange to him how different she looked, but even with a serious face on he at least noticed that Hinata was constantly kind.

It was so strange to him how she was nearly the opposite of all the females he knew. Sakura was kind some of the time and angry the rest. Ino seemed to be perpetually annoyed by others and TenTen he never really got to talk with, but she seemed like the far too serious type.

"I see it," Hinata said and nearly made Naruto jump out of his skin he turned away so quickly.

Naruto didn't want her to catch his eyes on her, since he didn't want Hinata to think he was up to some perverted thoughts. Then again for some reason everyone assumed that he would given who his two sensei's were.

"Which way," he asked with a bit too much desperation.

"Just follow the beach," she said and began off to the east.

* * *

He wasn't sure what to expect as he felt his ability to form conscious thought return to him, but he couldn't see anything.

"_Is this death,"_ he thought and tried to send an impulse to his muscles to move.

His muscles felt paralyzed, but he felt a twinge of pain rush through his spine and made him cough. He tried to wrap his mind around the fact he still felt agony, since he was certain paradise wouldn't have any terrible things such as this. Another throb of his body made him smile as he realized he was alive.

"_I'm in pain…glorious pain_," he thought with glee and felt his muscle control come back.

"I'm alive," he asked partially concerned that it was all just a dream.

"Well, you're not dead," responded a male voice that he knew far too well.

"Masahiro…how," he questioned as he opened one of his black eyes, which seemed to have some redness to them somehow.

The male scanned the room and expected to see Taro at the foot of the bed, but to his surprise he didn't seem to be anywhere.

"Well the absence of your mask prevented you from getting the necessary amount of oxygen, which caused your body's blood pH to lower thanks to excess carbonic acid and that denatured the poison enough to get you back in time for treatment…which is pretty cool," Taro said as he looked through the chart in his hands.

The male fought the soreness of his neck and turned his head to the right and there was Taro, but he looked far paler than he normally would as he lay in the hospital bed.

"Another female beat you up, Taro? And why do you smell like garbage," he asked and tried not to laugh, since he came to find that hurt in places other than his face.

Taro ignored the comment and continued to look through his "friends" chart as he made sure to note the absence of a name.

"I hope your sister Miki knows about this Gaman," Taro explained and made a few marks on the chart to ensure another test of his blood for possible poison remnants.

"Miki…please don't worry her about this," he said and tried to rub his left hand through his hair, but noticed that the ability he had to move his hand wasn't there.

"If we don't find a viable muscle donor it could take a rather painful procedure followed by about a month of constant rest to fully heal, which has about a 60% chance of you losing that hand."

"Don't bother her, she deserves to have a peaceful life away from this village."

"You'll get a chance to wish her that when she arrives."

"You already informed her…I thought you were my friend."

"Difference of position. I'm your friend outside, but here I'm your doctor and if you don't get a transplant there's a chance you'll lose your dominate hand."

"Bastard!"

"Not so loud," Taro begged as he held his ears.

Both males turned their heads as the door to their room opened up and in walked a rather concerned Shizune. She sighed in relief that both men were awake and talking, since she figured with how Taro was he could get someone to want to kill him. The expression of relief was hidden away by her business demeanor as Tsunade entered the room

"I take it you had a good reason to cause that explosion yesterday night," she asked and Taro knew that accusatory look.

"I'm fine thank you, and why isn't my chart attached to my bed," he demanded, since he felt like it was his right to know his condition and treatment options.

"I decided you'd be better off without the stress of your job while you recover."

"What happened to me?"

"You had a subdermal hematoma that ruptured by the concussive force of the explosion."

"How did I manage to get here?"

"Shizune was kind enough to carry you here despite her own injuries."

Shizune felt a bit embarrassed, but she pulled some of her hair away from her head and showed her left ear. The appendage was wrapped in bandages and even had some cotton inside that appeared saturated with blood from a possibly ruptured ear drum. Taro figured she had been closer than him and that is what probably kept him from being permanently injured. He just felt like he was being punched in the temple when someone talked too loud.

He leaned back and knew he was screwed, since Tsunade probably blamed him for the harm of her assistant. The tension in his head seemed to grow as Tsunade's words began to fade into gibberish as he recalled his home was gone now. However, what made him concerned was how his home had exploded when all his traps were gas and non-lethal poisons.

"Taro," Tsunade shouted and made Taro return as he gripped his head that felt it would split in half.

"Can I please be moved to another room," Gaman asked as he wrapped the pillow around his head the best he could with one working arm.

Tsunade looked at both of her patients and knew that further shouting wouldn't help them recover. She decided to give up on the chance to rip further into Taro who was in a fair amount of torture already. He had been through as much as Shizune, but he was already injured prior to the explosion.

Logic told her it wasn't right to continue to torment him, but with Koharu and Homura sniffing around that marriage certificate she needed some information to draw their attention elsewhere. Sakura's safety wasn't much of an issue, since so many clan members knew of the child she carried they'd do all they could to ensure the Uchiha blood line.

"Alright," Tsunade said and decided to move Gaman herself, since he still needed to be debriefed about the attack on Anbu Headquarters.

The two left the room and Taro was a bit surprised to see Shizune remain behind.

"I'm sorry, but your cast will be replaced tomorrow," she said louder than normal.

Taro couldn't even think straight as he just gave her his normal stoic glare until she huffed and left the room. He wasn't sure why, but when she was gone he pulled back the sheet that had covered his body. The sight he saw made him angry, worried, and a bit sad. His body was never something he'd consider beautiful, but a gargantuan trio of scars ran from his knee to his foot with dozens of sutures lacing them shut.

"_Shit,"_ Taro thought as fell back on the bed and stared off into nowhere.

The damage was severe and he knew the chances of a full recovery were as slim as a katana's edge. Bad things seemed to continue for him when he realized without a house it meant only one possibility for him.

"I need to return there," he grumbled and as he put the pillow over his head and wished it would smother him.

* * *

*Land of Waves*

They both felt like the sunlight had finally started to come out when they had spotted the bridge and entered back into civilization. It was a relief to come into town and see that the city had started to blossom outside of the holds of Gato. There were several shops open now and Naruto was happy to see that the poverty of years prior had vanished along with the gloom.

Hinata wasn't sure what it was, but she was just glad to see Naruto with a huge smile on his face as they walked through the streets. She enjoyed the chance to see a new place, yet she felt like there was something about this place that she had missed. The villagers seemed happy for them to be there and also recognized the Konoha forehead protectors. It was different to actually go into a foreign location and be welcome for a ninja.

Their walk was pleasant, but Hinata realized that she didn't have all the details to complete their mission. She looked around and tried to figure out a nice way to ask Naruto for the information as they continued to stroll through town. Not to mention, the contents of the shipment to Ichiraku's hadn't been disclosed. She hoped there wasn't too much to transport, otherwise the chance they had to carry it home was miniscule.

"Naruto-kun, is there a specific business we were meant to visit," Hinata asked and noticed the number of fish shops and fresh produce just seemed to be endless.

Naruto stopped for a second and realized he'd completely forgotten the store where the purchases needed to be made. He gave a nervous laugh as he reached into his pouch and began to look through the mission assignment carefully to find the objectives.

"The Bountiful Net," he said and figured they could walk around and find the place.

Naruto hadn't been too focused on the shops, since he did want to visit Inari and the old bridge builder Tazuna to see how they were. Although, he thought about it and it would probably be a better idea not to. They had wasted two days already and he didn't want baa-chan to send out a search party for them.

The trip through the town didn't take much longer as they found a large warehouse that had been turned into a fish market. The pair approached the business and were a bit overpowered by the smell of fish guts, but Naruto persevered as he noticed the business name matched the one they needed to visit.

"_For Ichiraku ramen,"_ he thought and entered.

The industry wasn't much more than several varieties of fish gutted and left to keep fresh on holding tables filled with crushed ice. The two continued deeper into the unknown until they came to the end of the aisle, which was a door that had a glass window that said "Manager" on it. Naruto pushed the object aside and there was black desk with a black haired female bent over it hard at work as she wrote something out. He approached cautiously as he wasn't sure what to expect, until the female raised her head and met him with a warm smile.

"Naruto," she asked and shot out of her seat.

Naruto blinked a few times and after a moment of confusion recognized her face and smiled back.

"Tsunami," he responded and was surprised when she came around the desk and gave him a powerful hug.

Naruto enjoyed the embrace, but felt his voice catch in his throat when he noticed he had only grown tall enough to be at breast level with his face. He felt a blush flood sap his blood supply from his vital organs, yet he also had a weird heat sensation from behind him. He didn't understand why, but he decided to let it go.

Hinata was staggered by the sight of this woman who just took Naruto and planted him firmly between her boobs. It made her feel a tiny moment of anger, but it abruptly vanished when she recalled that Naruto probably made a few friends in the village. He seemed to have a knack for getting others to like him.

"Who is this? I thought your teammate, Sakura, had pink hair," Tsunami asked as she let Naruto go and seemed to inspect Hinata like a mother inspecting her son's future bride.

"No, this is my friend Hinata," he clarified and shook his head to help the blood go back to his other extremities.

"I'm please to meet you. I am Hinata Hyuuga," she said with a small bow as was the custom of her clan.

Tsunami smiled at her and motioned for them to take a seat at her desk, which had two chairs in front of it.

"Where are Tazuna and Inari," Naruto asked as he hoped they were close so he could say hello.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. Inari and Tazuna left for Wind country, there was a village…Ten…Tengu that required a new bridge to be built."

"Why would Inari go with Tazuna, wouldn't he get in the way?"

"Naruto, after your team defeated Gato, Inari decided to apprentice under Tazuna and is becoming a well respected carpenter. Meanwhile, this business needed a manager and I apparently met the requirements."

Naruto's eyes expanded as he thought about the fact the little negative bratty child had started to turn it around. That and it did make sense for Tsumani to have something to do to keep herself occupied while Inari was off.

"Naruto-kun, the mission," Hinata whispered to him to try and keep him on track.

She knew it was probably important to him to meet all the people he had helped again, but they needed to finish their assignment so they could return home. Mainly due to her worry of running out of food pills and being incapacitated.

The blonde's mind came back to his objective as he recalled he hadn't had ramen in days and he worried he'd start to wither.

"Tsunami, we need all of these ingredients," he said and removed the scroll that had all the mission information on it.

Tsunami checked the requests and wasn't sure off the top of her head that they had all the listed things. She pulled a black folder off her desk and opened it to the final page. She took a few minutes to figure out if they had everything, but some comparison of her books showed they could fill the order. However, there was one thing she noticed that caught her attention.

"This order was already filled and given to the white crescent caravan. What happened," Tsunami's voice stopped in her throat when she saw that both Hinata and Naruto had on what appeared to be sad faces. It was enough for her to decide she didn't want to know.

"I think the order can be filled."

"Great."

"How do you intend to transport it?"

Naruto's mind came up blank when he realized he hadn't put that much thought into it. There was the chance he could try and carry it back, but that just didn't seem like the best choice if there were hazards like Hensa in the nearby woods.

"I don't know," Naruto said and couldn't come up with any option other than maybe trying to create a seal that would let him carry it easier. However, the last kunai he sealed came back as a solid chuck of metal, which would destroy the package they were meant to deliver.

"I think I can arrange a caravan to take you back to Konoha."

"Really," they both asked.

"I'm sure if I tell someone the actual Naruto that the bridge is named after is here they'll be willing to help," she offered with a smile, which made Naruto and Hinata light up at the thought that they could be home soon if they didn't run into that spider nin.

"That's wonderful," Hinata said and for once felt like things were about to go right for them.

"Hinata was it?"

"Um…Hai."

"Would you go out front and give this to one of the workers to start packing the fish," she asked and handed over a written slip to her.

Naruto didn't seem to notice that Hinata took a quick glance at him as she left the room, but Tsunami recognized that gesture as she had made the same expression toward her husband. Though she wondered if he realized he had her affection. From what she had seen when he was younger the male had definitely been focused on training, but time had passed and she hoped he had started to mature and find someone.

"Where are your other teammates," she asked Naruto, which made her happy to get a little time alone with him to catch up.

Naruto hid his pain well as he smiled and began to talk.

"Sakura-chan got sick after our last mission and Kakashi-sensei doesn't come with me on all my missions anymore," he said and hoped it would end at that.

"What about your other friend, the dark haired one, Sa…Sasuke," she said and noticed that the inviting smile on the males seemed to snap freeze.

Naruto didn't know what to say, since the word friend and Sasuke in the same sentence seemed to rub sulfur into a deep gash. He sighed out most of his pain, but he still had an abundance that was visible on his facial features.

"Sasuke…abandoned us," he said and turned his face downward to hide any tears that could possibly fall.

Tsunami didn't understand what abandoned meant in the Ninja world, but she knew that it wasn't good in the normal sense. That and the effect it had on Naruto showed that it definitely had caused a bit of damage to him. She wanted to know more, but she had work to do and it wouldn't do him any good if she pried deeper.

"Go ahead and relax at the Wave Crest restaurant. I'll come find you once I've arranged transport," she said and noticed how he seemed to skulk out the door.

Hinata had already delivered the small slip to one of the fish mongers and seemed to feel the world get a bit darker as Naruto came out with a cloud over his head. It was never like him to be far from cheerful, yet as of recent she noticed he had more frequent bouts of depression.

"_What's wrong Naruto-kun," _she thoughtas he came up and tucked away his sorrow under a smile.

"Let's get something to eat," he said with cheer as he walked out of the business and began the search for the restaurant.

Hinata followed behind him the best she could, in deep thought. It still made her wonder what could be happening to make him so sad, since she could tell his smile was forced as of late.

They didn't travel far as the restaurant was actually connected to the fish supplier, which was convenient since it could quickly get the fish it needed. It wasn't a fancy place. It had a bar, order counter, and a few booths to eat at. They approached the counter and neither of them really seemed interested in food.

Naruto felt down and the only thing that usually brought his mood around was Ichiraku ramen. He looked up at the menu and noticed several different soups and foods, but he only saw a fish type ramen and it was better than nothing.

Hinata looked over the menu and was surprised to see that they served cinnamon rolls, but she figured it wouldn't hurt to supplement her food pills. The high calorie count would definitely do the job and it was wonderful to get to eat her favorite food. They both gave their orders to a small child behind the counter and found a place in a nearby booth.

Neither of them seemed ready to talk as they looked off in separate directions to try and occupy themselves.

"_I wonder what Tsunami asked to put him in such a mood," _Hinata wondered and stared at him from the corner of her eye.

Naruto had decided to just look out the window that faced toward the ocean. It wasn't really the kind of place he enjoyed too much, even though his last name did mean whirlpool. It never had the same peaceful feel that the forest around Konoha brought. He began to drift back to better days gone by as he recalled some of the D-rank missions they had done prior to helping in wave country.

One in particular stood out since they were supposed to help clear away a large tree branch that had fallen into a nearby stream, which so happened to supply a nearby farm with water. Thinking back to his hasty action to hop into the water made him feel stupid as he dislodged the obstruction with shadow clones. He hadn't expected the current to carry them toward the nearby waterfall.

He had thought it was over, until Sasuke ended up saving him from a fatal fall by suspending himself with a kunai and rope from a tree. Naruto had been really prideful back then and he honestly would've rather fallen than be saved by Sasuke.

"_Why did you leave us both behind,"_ he thought and slumped forward to rest his head on his arms.

Hinata knew she had to do something since Naruto just appeared to wallow in some sort of depressing waters. She decided that it was time to take action, since the sight of her friend in this state always worried her.

"_What should I say,"_ she asked herself and began to poke her index fingers together, which proved to be a costly mistake when it felt like her nerves were all stabbed with red hot pokers.

She bit her lip and stifled a audible whimper from the pain she was in. The worry for Naruto had made the pain in her body slip her mind and now she probably couldn't shut her tenketsu point again for fear of possible damage. She slowly turned her palms upward and wasn't sure exactly what to do.

A warm hand reached over into hers and gently poked at the spot in the center, which made her cringe and kept her from blushing. Naruto had heard the sound she made and it didn't surprise him at all by the pain he figured she'd be in.

"Chakra overuse," he said and didn't seem to wait for her questioning look.

"It happened a lot when I learned the Rasengan, it really helps if you hold something cold," he said and smiled when the same man who took their order placed a pair of glasses with cold water before them.

Naruto didn't take a moment to stop as he pulled out a piece of ice and touched it to her palm and rotated it in the same direction as she spun her chakra. He started with her left hand and was entirely oblivious to the crimson face of his companion. Hinata still hadn't gotten used to physical contact with him, yet she wasn't about to complain as the stabs of pain began to dissipate.

"Does it always hurt this much to perform jutsus," she asked to see if a conversation on training could bring the Naruto she knew and admired back.

"Sometimes. I usually don't notice," he replied and took her hand in his left so he could more precisely move the melting cube of water.

Hinata gasped at the extra contact and thanked Kami that he guessed he had hurt her and loosened his grip.

"I think it's amazing you have so much stamina, Naruto-kun," she said and treated herself to some of the water thanks to a straw inside it.

"Thanks," he sighed and kept up his work.

"Do you think we'll be able to leave here soon?"

"I don't know, I just don't want to have to try and carry the supplies back."

"You know some sealing Naruto-kun, couldn't you just place it into a scroll?"

Naruto felt a drop of sweat run down his head when he thought about the last thing he sealed. It would be a nightmare to return to Konoha and to have failed a mission due to a misplaced line of ink.

"That wouldn't be safe," he said and hoped it would stop her there, but it didn't.

"Why not," Hinata asked in general confusion as many ninja used scrolls to seal all the time.

Naruto had thought to just explain it to her, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to just show. He slowly released her hand to not let it hit the table and reached into his pack for a mini scroll and a pair of shuriken. Hinata looked on in wonder and took over his job in treating her hands as he rolled out the parchment and pulled out a pencil. Naruto took a deep breath and began with a circle and started to add several different kanji around it.

It took him about ten minutes to finish a pair of circles and he showed her it on the table top. Hinata began to open and close her left hand, which felt immensely improved from the cold.

"Can you see any difference," he asked and waited.

Hinata hadn't seen too many seals in her lifetime, but she looked at the paper and all that she noticed was that the kanji for dog was thinner than the other one.

"One of the kanji is written wrong," she said

Naruto put a shuriken into the center of each circle and placed his hand on top them. A pulse of chakra made the both items disappear and the center of each circle had a kanji for metal. Hinata blinked a few times and couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face. It was an incredible sight to actually see something placed within a seal.

"Naruto-kun, that's incredible," she said and was bewildered by the look of dissatisfaction on his face.

He didn't removed either hand and delivered another pulse of chakra, which brought about a quick puff of smoke. Hinata went wide eyed as the two shuriken that came back didn't look alike anymore. The one in the scroll with the partially miss drawn kanji had come back in the shape of a steel block.

"What happened," she asked perplexed as to how the item got damaged.

"A single mistake in the seal can make an item come back differently than how it entered."

"How is that possible when we use chakra to place it into a different form?"

"Ero-sennin said that sealing was like a lock and key, both need to be similar to prevent any accidents."

"So what will we do if we don't get transport," she asked genuinely concerned that their mission would be a complete failure.

The child returned and handed them a tray that had the order of ramen, cinnamon rolls and a side of red bean paste for Hinata. Naruto felt a smile cross his face as the smell of the salty broth found his nasal passage and got his mouth watering. It had only been two days, but to him it might as well been two weeks.

"Itadakimasu," he said and clapped his hands together as Hinata followed minus the hand clap.

* * *

*Konoha Hospital*

Taro didn't know why he thought that what he was about to do was a good idea. He wanted to escape, but without a crutch it wasn't even worth the effort to try. The staff had surely been instructed by Tsunade to keep an eye on him, and to further demoralize him had placed his crutch across the room from him. It was one of the oldest tactics when used to torture someone, since the only way to truly a crush a person's will was to give just that shard of hope.

His original plan had been to perform an earth jutsu and make it come to him, but the IV had saline and a chakra suppressor in it. Logically, he couldn't understand why he'd need his chakra system suppressed, yet he knew it was more to prevent an escape.

He decided to go primitive as he used the sheets and his pillow case to make a rope, which he tied around the pillow and attempted to use it like a fishing line. It had been over twenty minutes of effort and he finally decided to give up, even though he knew if he didn't distract his brain soon he'd start to go a little crazy.

"_I wonder if I should just hang myself with this,_" he thought with sarcasm, but started to reel in his lure as he noticed some of the roof panels missing.

The sound of the door made him want to play dead, since he knew that would buy him a minute chance to flee. However, when he noticed a pink haired female enter the room with an evil smirk on her face he felt genuine panic.

"Come to finish the job, huh," he asked with a nervous laugh as she approached.

His fears were put to rest when Shizune entered, followed by Tsunade and Koharu.

"What the hell," he said as everyone seemed to crowd him and Koharu had the marriage contract in hand.

"Have you seen this contract before," Koharu asked and tossed the item onto his lap.

Taro looked at the item in question and praised Kami for the momentary distraction, but said item was surely about to get him burdened with questions.

"Yes, I was informed of this union with my property," he said on instinct as he noticed Sakura and Sasuke's signatures.

"What was the amount decided on for the purchase of your property," Koharu dug deeper, but to her surprise Taro answered with practiced ease.

"A female of prime breeding age, a jonin level medic ninja and the apprentice of one of the legendary sannin, a bride price of ten million," he said.

Sakura and Tsunade were a bit flattered by the way he seemed to speak with some respect for them. However, Sakura seemed to choke on the amount he mentioned. It was flattering that her skills were worth that much, but she felt like Taro was extorting her. Plus, she didn't have that kind of money to pay him off, which would surely show up as Koharu dug deeper.

"Has such a…transaction taken place," she continued and felt like she were getting a hot flash.

Taro felt his blood pressure rise when he realized he was still covered in that damn pheromone, which apparently worked well on all females young or old. Some fragment of him thought it was hilarious to watch all the females start to squirm and decided to try and drag this out to see who cracked first.

"The transaction was made on good faith, since Sasuke wasn't in the best condition to reach the village depository and given medical reasons I haven't been capable of such a thing either," he stated and made sure to look at his mutilated leg.

Koharu was certain what had occurred, but she felt something she hadn't in a long time. She looked at the other women in the room and they appeared fine, which made her think someone were poisoning the air. Her breathing steadied as she stood up straight and decided she couldn't ask anything more.

Masahiro had said it was checked with him and this proved the contract was legal, which meant Sakura would be bestowed with all the rights of a clan member. The news made her distraught since she now didn't have a smokescreen to buy her time as the council further investigated into Danzo's betrayal.

"Thank you, Masahiro," she said and left with impressive speed for an elderly lady.

Shizune, Sakura and Tsunade all breathed a sigh of relief to have that small nuisance dealt with.

"What's eating her," Taro said and chuckled

Tsunade wasn't amused as she still was a bit frustrated that he managed to get Shizune hurt, but with Koharu no longer a thorn in her side she felt a small urge to tolerate him. Tsunade had thankfully heard about the issues of women inhaling around Taro and had taken preventatives with a small jutsu that sealed off her nasal passage.

"Make sure the transfer is taken care of by the end of the week," she informed him and she finally noticed both her students slightly push their knees together where they stood.

Tsunade wondered why they hadn't taken any precaution with him, but given the stress everyone was under it just slipped their minds.

"Good night, Taro," she said and noticed how Sakura and Shizune both seemed to sprint out of the room.

"Don't let anything soak into those sheets," she added and left with a huff.

"Tell your students the same thing," he shouted at all the fun that the chemical caused, which suddenly made him decided to store another evil thought away for later use.

* * *

*Wave Country Late Evening*

They had sat and talked for several hours about whatever they could. Hinata had taken it upon herself to actually try and keep a conversation with him, but there were times she didn't know what to ask. It was no secret she was shy her entire life and that made her experience in social interaction lacking.

She had asked him for future pointers in her training and that was enough to get him started in all the things he figured would work. It was incredible to see all the knowledge Jiraiya had given to him, well all the information that didn't pertain to seducing women. Naruto demolished another bowl of ramen and finished another one of his stories that made her blush.

Naruto recalled one incident when they had gone to a nearby city and Jiraiya had made the mistake of sleeping with the lord's wife. It had been an accident, since she had gone to the bar looking for someone to please her. He then remembered the fact that he woke up at 3 am the next morning to soldiers pounding down the door of the hotel room.

Hinata covered her face and giggled at some of the parts, but secretly dreaded the times he talked about Jiraiya's sexual escapades. It wasn't her business to ask him if he'd had any interaction of his own while they were gone, yet it did eat at her.

"_Naruto-kun is kind and sweet, he could've easily found anyone while he was gone," _she thought and caught herself. "_No, Naruto-kun wouldn't have a one night stand, even if his sensei is a terrible influence,"_ she reasoned and noticed that she finished another bowel of ramen herself as their combined total came to twelve over the last eight hours.

Neither of them seemed too focused on the food, since they had company that was both interesting and comforting. Naruto wasn't sure how it happened, but he started to feel more comfortable around Hinata. It wasn't near the trust he had with Iruka, Sakura, or Kakashi-sensei, but it was still wonderful to have someone else he could talk to.

The sudden appearance of the child server brought them out of their thoughts as he delivered them a special treat. He had brought them a large metal tray with some type of wafer that was pressed into the shape of a fish. Beside it was a lump of green ice cream, a mound of whipped cream, and a tiny porcelain tray with a thick chocolate sauce.

"Compliments of the house to the happy couple," he said in a sweet voice and took the ramen bowels away.

The pair rotated their view back toward the other and shared a mirror image of blushes. It wasn't what they expected to hear as they tried to make sense of it.

"_Do we give off that look,"_ Naruto thought and slowly looked at Hinata.

"_He thinks we're a couple," _Hinata nearly gushed with joy and noticed the embarrassed look on her companions face. She didn't know what to say, so she merely took one of the spoons provided and scooped into the wafer, which was filled with a vanilla ice cream and red bean paste.

The tiny morsel was a slice of heaven as the flavors all mixed together into a sweet treat. Naruto came back to reality and did the same with his spoon and found it was indeed tasty, but frankly he didn't enjoy sweet so much as he did salty.

"Naruto-kun," a voice cut in from the door as Tsunami entered.

Naruto turned his head, glad to see her and hoping that she had managed to arrange something. She walked in and hoped that what she told them wasn't too much of a disappointment.


	13. Chronic Pain Part 2

It was early morning and he frankly didn't understand how this was the only form of transport that was left. Tsunami had opened up her home to them and it was indeed a blessing to not have to pay for boarding. The issue was that they had to rise with the sun and now they were burdened with work. Naruto grunted as he made sure the pole had a proper position on his and his five clones' shoulders. He groaned out in frustration as the obese male with short black hair, wrapped in a gold decorative silk robe, in the center of the platform shifted his weight to get himself another snack from a bucket of peanuts.

"_How the hell did this happen,"_ he thought and recalled the day before.

*The day earlier*

Tsunami had greeted them and been glad they seemed to have found a way to kill time as it had taken her a long time to set up transportation given her other duties as the manager of the fish company. She had to make a deal with a nobleman to arrange for them to travel with him, even though the male's path went by Konoha.

"I've found a way for the cargo and you to be transferred back home," she said and the pair shared relieved smiles.

"But, there were a few deals made," she continued and slowly watched the happy expressions on their faces crumble as she explained the extra work they'd have to accomplish

*Present*

Naruto hadn't expected to be made into a work mule. He had to carry the weight of six Choujis as cargo.

He was at least glad Hinata didn't have to share his burden, but her job was to be an extra guard for this wealthy land owner. Although, that seemed superfluous as they were accompanied by forty common foot soldiers each armed with insignia red plate armor, spears, and swords. It was brutal to continue on at the current pace, but each step took them closer to Konoha. Plus, it helped to put them at ease to get farther away from the forest as quickly as possible.

Hinata had decided to stay within close proximity to try to make the agony of the trip seem shorter. She had already made sure to provide water to the real Naruto when he needed it. However, just based on the pulsating artery on his forehead she knew he was about to break.

"Why didn't I just carry the supplies back," he whispered in anger.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, more water," she offered and noticed how the "noble" man discarded his peanut shells to the side so that they struck Naruto on the side of the head.

He honestly wanted to lose it, yet he knew it would cause trouble with all the soldiers nearby if he caused the male harm. But, it did go to figure the male liked peanuts as he weighed about as much as an elephant. The caravan was a curse, but it was a relief to actually have other people nearby, since he didn't know how Hinata and he would fair against another ambush.

"I need a break," he said as he made another clone appear and had it switch spots with him.

The convoy was originally a platform and nothing else, but with the addition of supplies the rich man had purchased a carriage to bring along the items of his new employees. Naruto rubbed his right shoulder and decided he'd head to the back carriage, since it had some room for tired soldiers to rest. Hinata followed him to the cart and figured it'd be alright to abandon her post and make certain that he was alright. He had already been at it for six hours and she felt he deserved a break with the afternoon heat beating down on him now.

He got up into the cart and felt a tidal wave of fatigue hit him. It wasn't the heaviest weight he had been burdened with, but having that pain split among five shadow clones multiplied the soreness exponentially.

Naruto rubbed his neck the best he could with both hands, yet it just wasn't enough to relieve the stinging throb that seemed to follow time with his heart beat. Hinata saw the need that he had and wasn't certain if he'd allow her to assist him, but she knew that she had to try something. She looked at her hands, which had recovered from the good night sleep. He had done her a favor in the way he rubbed her hands with ice the day prior, yet she was nervous to offer the same treatment to his muscles.

"Naruto-kun,…can I help you," she asked and nervously rubbed her hands together to get them warm if he agreed.

"Sure, that'd be great," he groaned and turned sideways and put his feet up on the couch like seat so that Hinata had unrestricted access to his aching shoulders.

She didn't have any experience in physical therapy, but she was going to try and wondered if maybe she could try some nearby herbs to cool and relax him.

"Just one second," she said and wandered out to the side of the road.

Hinata had plenty of knowledge about plant life in Fire country, which was thanks to her hobby of flower pressing and her sensei's for gardening. She began to scan the shaded areas around the base of trees. It took her several minutes before she came across a bluish green plant that had stems that sprouted upward with sharp points.

The plant seemed well protected, but wasn't a match for the sharpened kunai she used to obtain a considerable amount of stems. She cradled them in her open palm to prevent any possibility of cuts, since most beneficial plants seemed to have nasty defenses against animals that knew of its uses.

She arrived back and noticed that Naruto had removed his jacket and sat there in his tight fitting white undershirt as he waited for her. It took her off guard as she could clearly see the muscles on his back and his biceps. She smiled to hide her blush and steadied her hands so she wouldn't drop any of the medicinal shrubs.

She cut fully through the stems lengthwise and carefully squeezed out the internal fluid into her left hand. It felt cool on her flesh and knew it would work even better as she held her breath and lightly smeared it into his skin.

He gave a sigh of relief as the cooling effect sent chills along his spine. It felt like an ice pack, there was so much of it sapping heat away from him. It didn't serve as a miracle cure, but it did help to dull away the pain.

"_This is great,"_ he thought and began to relax.

"Your hands are soft," he said and felt a flinch from Hinata's hand.

She didn't expect the small compliment, but once again her face began to heat up. The aloe offered her assistance as she rubbed some on her cheeks to hide some of the heat in her skin.

"Halt," shouted the noblemen as the entire line of carts slammed to stop and gave many of those not expecting it a case of whiplash.

Naruto had been one of the victims as he bumped his head into the back rest and fell back. He landed with a thud, but to his surprise the cart was softer than he presumed it to be. A high pitch yelp hinted to where he had landed, but he wondered why Hinata had provided plenty of padding to his drop.

He balanced himself and sat back up as quickly as he could and put together where precisely he landed. The obvious location made him feel his face start to burn red as he tried to think of what to say. It wasn't like he could just apologize, since she'd probably want to slap him. Although, it was an accident and he hoped that'd be a good enough excuse.

Hinata had felt steam start to shoot out her ears the instant his head was cushioned by her breasts. She held her breath as she decided on how to proceed. It hadn't angered her at all, yet she couldn't bring herself to just come out and say she didn't mind it.

"_It was an accident, but if I tell him it's okay will he think I'm easy or being perverted with him. Kami, if you hear me please help me out of this," _she thought and heard footsteps approach as a green eye male came to the window.

"Half-hour break for water," he said and walked off.

Naruto had put two and two together when his clones placed down the carry platform and dispelled themselves, but the flood of fatigue and soreness made him wish they hadn't stopped. He went limp and flopped back, but this time he landed on the firm pad of the seat.

"Gomen, Naruto-kun. I'll get us more water," Hinata stuttered only partially glad she had gotten up and escaped an even worse situation.

Naruto sighed in relief and at the same time felt disappointed. He enjoyed the impromptu massage and really did have energy still to spare, yet he still felt tender in all his major muscle groups.

"_Guess I should keep watch,"_ he thought and stared out the window to keep an eye out for hostiles.

He decided to sweep the area from where he sat and after a few scans of the trees his vision found its way to Hinata. Naruto hadn't taken much time to think with the physical labor, but now that he had a moment the previous days caught up with him.

"_Why is she always blushing around me,"_ he wondered as she approached the edge of the stream and began to fill his canteen up.

He began to look her over and wasn't certain what it was, but there was something different about her lately. The Hinata he knew from two years ago wasn't very certain of herself or capable as she was now and she rarely talked to him. It seemed impossible for someone to change over so little time; yet he himself had blossomed, or at least that was what Ero-sennin had told him.

His eyes narrowed as he watched her walk out onto the stream to get the water near the center, which wouldn't be as saturated with sediment. When she finished, she returned and began to fill the water containers for the soldiers as well who were impressed by her abilities. It seemed like such an easy task for her until some of her hair strayed around her head and dunked into the water.

Hinata hadn't had the opportunity to wash herself and her hair had gotten a bit oily from the physical activity. She decided to treat herself and rinsed off some of her hair and figured it'd be best to keep her hair from soaking her clothes. Naruto's eyes perked as she flung her head back and all the water on her body seemed to fly off in a bluish orb. His mind began to ache as he recalled a similar figure, but from where and what scenario? He shut his eyes and let the thoughts begin to flow like a stream and his previous dream of the "waterfall girl" rushed into his conscious thoughts.

Hinata smiled and turned away as several of the men began to applaud at the show she put on. It was embarrassing and also invigorating to be admired for her skill.

"_No, it couldn't be,"_ he thought as his brain took the two silhouettes from then and now and lined them up to see the similarities.

The body type seemed off, but her clothes were baggy so that prevented him from that comparison. Although, the shape of her bangs, face, and the physical movement were identical. Naruto felt a rush of blood come out of his nose and his groin throbbed when he realized that the female he had seen two years ago and the one he had a few sexual dreams about was…Hinata Hyuuga.

* * *

*Meanwhile*

She bit her lip full of murder frenzy as she punched a nearby pine tree and left a fist size hole in it. It made so little sense how they managed to get past her when there were spiders everywhere in the forest. She had even placed several in webs above the roads to serve as surveillance.

Hensa pushed back some of her brown hair and decided that she should observe the road again. She performed a series of hand seals and put her right hand over her eyes. Her vision faded to black and the next she could view the road from the eyes of all her friends at the same time. It was a lot of information to take in, but she managed to sort through the junk and noticed a caravan of sorts along the road out of her forest.

Her view focused onto the people inside the group, but none of them matched the description of the two ninja. She did lick her lips when she saw the weight of the male in the front and thought of how many days she could eat like a queen, yet there were too many guards. Hensa had specific targets she went after and they were normally lone travelers or poor trade caravans, since no one would notice if they vanished.

In addition, poor people wouldn't have the funds to hire a ninja to go out and search for them. However, just from the view of the gluttonous bastard he was probably loaded. This made him off limits and the numerous guards were just extra reasons not to attempt a snatch and eat.

She ended the jutsu with a grunt of exertion, since so many chakra connections ate up an abundant amount of energy. She felt tired and knew that it was from lack of food, but as luck would have it the wild horse her pet caught the day before was probably done liquidating. Her attention turned to the lifeless web sack that was suspended from the roof of her cave.

Her mouth began to water as she lied down on the ground and tore a hole in the bottom and let a viscous red and black fluid pour out into her mouth. The smell of carrion was caustic, but to her empty stomach and poison glands it was liquid sugar. She enjoyed that about her venom, since it took out all the energy loss of chewing.

The fluid muscle and tissue eventually came to a stop and she felt now full to the point she might burst.

"_I guess I'll take a nap_ _and let my babies do some work," _she thought and relaxed on the floor littered with the husks of dead creatures.

* * *

*Konoha*

Sakura rolled over in her bed to find another comfy location, but she came to find that it just didn't feel right. The sheets and covers left her feeling lonely, even when the bed wasn't big enough for two. The sounds of outside started to penetrate into her mind as the daytime life of Konoha began to flourish. She could head the footsteps on the dirt, children laughing, vendors shouting, and tapping against her window.

"_Wait what," _she thought and rose up from her bed.

She held her arms up over her head and pulled on her wrist long enough until her shoulders popped. She yawned as though she didn't get enough sleep, which made little sense as she noticed the hour hand on her clock said it was after noon. However, the way she saw it she was sleeping for two now.

Another click on her window made her walk over in a red silk nightgown to see what all the fuss was about. She had bought the item previously to try and seduce Sasuke if he ever came back, but with that hope gone she figured it wouldn't hurt to wear it at least once to say she used it. The walk to the window sill seemed farther than usual, yet she reached it and pulled the glass to the side.

"Yo," said the voice of her lazy sensei who was hanging upside down from her roof, his favorite orange book in hand.

"Kakashi-sensei," she asked confused as to why he couldn't just ring the doorbell like a normal person, but then again most ninja never used doors when they could afford not to.

"I figured the newest Uchiha could use congratulations," he said and noticed the sadness that seeped out from her eyes and his own voice.

Sakura suddenly realized her state of dress and covered her chest with her arms to prevent possibly showing off her breasts to her pervert sensei.

"Excuse me," she said and backed into her room and closed the shades.

"Lunch at the Twin Star," he said and decided to walk down the wall to the front door when he heard what he thought to be an acceptance.

Sakura started to wrap herself up her usual black shorts and red top, but as she did some of the things to come began to weigh on her mind. Her appearance was perfectly normal and no one would've guessed she had a new life growing inside her. However, she also knew that in about three months she'd start to show and needed to find more conservative clothing.

She finished zipping up the top and noticed she didn't have her forehead protector. It was a sign of pride in their village, but her status was temporarily restricted until "the child" was grown and able to be enrolled in the academy. Sakura had to catch herself as she thought about it as if the baby inside her wasn't special.

"My child," she said and rubbed her pelvis.

"Is it kicking already," asked Kakashi as he stood in the doorway of her bedroom.

It made Sakura jump at his sudden entrance, which once again made her wish that the man would use the front door and knock at least when in the village. The only thing she hoped is that his need to enter into her home didn't result in him seeing her nude one day.

"No, that will be awhile," she said and decided to merely wrap her forehead protector around her waist for the time being and let her pink locks fall free like when she was younger.

"Shall we," she asked and led him out of her home.

Neither of them knew where to start as the numerous thoughts of the last days seemed far too much to bear. They had struggled through tough times previously and managed to become stronger than before. Now it did feel like each of them had finally broken in some form.

"How are you holding up," Sakura asked to break the silence and tension between them.

Kakashi didn't respond right away, since he did still have his nose buried in make-out paradise. Though, he hadn't been reading it the entire day. The book served as a way to hide the pain he felt and the guilt at the loss of another Uchiha that he was close to.

"As well as I can be," he responded and decided to put the book away and stop trying to hide from his student.

"I feel the same…does it get any easier to lose someone," she asked and looked up at the sky to try and lose herself so she wouldn't feel so full of guilt.

"No, but that isn't a bad thing. When you stop caring you won't feel anything anymore," he explained as they finally arrived at the small café.

"True," she responded.

They took their seats at a small table outside, since the weather was pleasant and they wanted a little time to just talk in private.

"Has there been any progress at Anbu Headquarters?"

"Even with hundreds of ninja working it will still take several days to clear the debris."

"Were there that many floors at the Headquarters?"

"No, as we dig deeper were finding pockets of Amaterasu still burning."

Sakura nearly choked at that comment. She hadn't ever had the opportunity to see the legendary black flames before, but if it was still burning that meant someone had to start it and there was only one person who could've done so.

"Sasuke might've used that to escape," she said with hope, but the look Kakashi gave her said otherwise.

"That's the one thing we haven't been able to determine, it's just fortunate Jiraiya has been around to seal it whenever it's found."

They both shared a sigh and knew it was stupid to hope for some miraculous escape, but that wasn't likely this time. Sasuke had survived in wave country, because Haku had a conscious and dealt a non-lethal blow. However, the black flames of Amaterasu didn't discriminate who they destroyed.

Neither of them wanted to talk further, which would've made it difficult for the red head who offered them some white tea while they thought their order over.

"How do we tell Naruto," Kakashi asked and knew Sakura agreed with him in the difficulty of such an act as she nearly choked on her drink.

"I don't think there's an easy way to tell him that he's gone."

"I meant about the child inside you."

Sakura gasped when she realized that would just further add injury to an already deep scar. She wasn't dumb enough to believe that Naruto had ever stopped wanting her, which made it harder now that she was technically off limits as the last of the Uchiha. Sure, maybe once she gave birth she'd be able to get married to someone, but the child would just be a continual reminder to him of the friend he couldn't save.

"Do we have to tell him," she asked and looked down ashamed of lying to him.

Kakashi had gone through several scenarios to prevent his student from catching on, yet he knew they couldn't keep it secret for long. The entire village knew Sakura was an Uchiha and if he didn't catch on from her name change when the child started to fully develop it'd be impossible not to notice.

"Do you really think he wouldn't notice in six months," he asked and saw her drop her head, defeated.

"It's a terrible mess were in, isn't it," she groaned and when her vision returned to the table Kakashi's cup was already empty.

"You really hide it so well," she laughed at the fact no one had ever managed to see the Jonin's face.

Kakashi knew she was referring to his face, but deep down he knew it was true about his own sorrow. When he had heard the news at the council meeting he hadn't had the strength to speak with Sakura. He had gone straight to the memorial stone to collect his thoughts and wasn't able to even speak to the friends he'd lost.

The pain in his heart was excessive, but that didn't compare to the shame he felt. He wondered if it was how the third felt when Orochimaru betrayed him and left the village, yet he didn't have to know he was dead. It was such a confusing and guilty time for him. When he heard Sasuke was gone he was glad that he wouldn't hurt anyone else, but as he recalled all the time they had spent together as a team it felt like he had lost another family member.

The silver haired scarecrow didn't flinch as all the memories flooded his mind and knew he had to respond and be strong for the rest of his family.

"I don't see what the big deal is, it's just a face," he said and smirked at least to the best someone could through a mask.

* * *

He knew it wouldn't take them much longer to reach their destination as he spotted the village wall in the distance. Naruto had a huge smile on his features and felt that the entire trip had been worth it. The platform on his shoulder felt lighter as his joy made him able to ignore the soreness.

He had decided to have the real him out bearing the load, since he felt far too embarrassed to spend more time with Hinata after his realization. The whole insight had left him confused and scared on how to approach his friend.

*Two hours earlier*

Hinata had finished with all of the canteens for the soldiers and made her way back to the cart Naruto was in. She knew that the stop had definitely been a snag in her plan to help him feel better, but she figured the break would've given enough time for that to blow over. When she came up to the cart to her surprise Naruto wasn't there, which confused her to where he could've gone.

Naruto had panicked as she approached and with each step she took his mind wouldn't stop him from thinking about what he had seen that night. He didn't really see anything specific on her body, but he had seen the outline of her breasts and he also realized that she had been nude! He had to stifle a nosebleed the best he could and decided to rush out to avoid her for a second.

"_I need to get out of here," _he thought and exited the carriage.

He didn't make it too far as he came face to face with Hinata as he tried to walk around.

"I got more water, Naruto-kun," she offered with a smile and noticed the staggered expression planted on his face.

"_I thought the break would give him enough time to forget about touching my breasts,"_ she thought and her face felt warm at the thought of him touching her.

Naruto felt confused as to what he could say or do. Hinata had caught him off guard and he wanted to do anything that didn't involve looking at her.

"I feel better, thanks," he said and rubbed the back of his head so he could look downward.

Hinata was confused why he was acting so strange and wondered why he didn't want to look at her. Perhaps she had come on a bit too strong with touching, but he had initiated some contact back in wave country so what had happened?

She looked down in a bit of despair and tried to think of what she could do the put him at ease.

It hadn't expected to spot the pair, but the matter it couldn't deal with was that its' master wasn't awake to see what it saw. The brown spider cautiously descended from the branch it tethered a silk strand to and made an attempt to land on the dark haired female. It knew it needed to keep track of them to allow Hensa a chance to capture them.

The summoned animal dropped from the wire and unfortunately landed with an audible thud. Naruto turned toward Hinata who seemed too lost in thought to feel the creature. The blonde didn't know what to do as he noticed the red eyes on the brown tarantula and did as he was trained and immediately attacked.

His palm turned the beast into a brown and yellow colored splat on his teammates shoulder. Hinata's eyes expanded as she wondered why Naruto would strike her, but as she turned her eyes to the right and saw the guts of the arachnid ooze down her jacket she understood. They shared a concerned stare and decided to forget about their own awkwardness and pick up the pace.

Naruto immediately formed eleven clones and with a pair on each pole began to run with the nobleman. Hinata took her place in the driver seat of the carriage, her Byakugan active to scan for more arachnids. To her relief it didn't look like there were any other spiders as they were near the edge of the forest, but why take the chance. A snap of the reigns got the pair of horses running.

The soldiers all looked at each other confused by the expedient exit, but they soon raced after the two ninja.

"Wait for us my lord," they all shouted and tried their best to catch up.

*Present*

Naruto hadn't expected to reach the village about three hours ahead of schedule, but it had been a reward for him to do so. His pace slowed to a crawl as they entered through the large gates and dropped the nobleman as he knew their contract had been fulfilled. Plus it was payback for all the peanut shells that were hocked upon him.

Hinata was surprised how well she navigated the quadrupeds and brought them to a stop. Their emergency run had stopped in thirty minutes once they were certain the worse was far behind them, but it was also to allow the tired looking armed forces to catch up. It was an odd thing to forget, yet most ninja didn't realize they were in better shape than normal civilians.

"Hey, Boss," came a shout as he looked at the place the guards usually sat, and there was Konohamaru and a stern looking Hanabi.

"Konohamaru, why are you watching the gate," the real him asked as the clones went to unload the cargo and complete the mission.

"It's the C-rank mission. We're assigned while everyone else cleans up Anbu Headquarters."

"What happened there," Hinata asked now off the cart and beside her companion who took a step to the side to give her more room.

"There was a confirmed attack against the village and the threat was neutralized. All ninja are required to report to the headquarters for excavation unless told by the Hokage," Hanabi explained as she eyed up her sister.

It was in a way a relief to see her so worse for wear, since she had heard it was a C-rank mission and that meant she still wasn't as good as her.

Naruto took shock at the instructions, yet it wasn't out of fear for the village.

"But…Ramen," he pleaded and knew Baa-chan would have his head if he disobeyed an order.

"We can stop on the way, Naruto-kun," Hinata offered and he nodded his head, though he seemed to make certain to not look her in the eye.

Naruto had done his best to repress the image of a nude Hinata in his mind, which had thankfully been simple given enough thoughts on his own training. Although, when he saw the smaller Hanabi and noted the similar body shape the image seemed scorched into his retinas.

"_Go away,"_ he pleaded with his mind to stop so he could focus.

He noted that his clones seemed to have trouble too as some of them seemed to be undressing her with their eyes.

"Alright, let's get some ramen," he told the group and all of them snapped out of their hypnotic state and carried away the barrels of supplies.

Hinata decided to go to the cart and made sure to grab Naruto's pack and her own. She began off after him, but stopped and returned to the land owner.

"Thank you so much for your assistance," she bowed and jogged off to catch up with the Naruto herd.

The noble man seemed frustrated by the trip he had, but he decided it was worth it to have the extra protection as he could've been a target for assassination. After all, he alone owned enough land to build a city if he so chose. Though, now he wanted to stay and peek around the village and maybe partake of what Konoha had to offer.

* * *

She crouched behind a nearby tree and watched as all the guards and the nobleman took their place inside the walls. Hensa had awoken from her slumber when it felt like a tiny knife had dug its way into her brain. It was similar to how a spider slept with a leg on each web line to alert them when something wandered into its' trap. The way it worked for her was that each spider she summoned served as a chakra nerve that could be agitated.

Her expression changed when her eyes opened to find a piece of her family had been destroyed. The numerous years she was away from her home had finally taken their toll and she couldn't even recall the location. Over that time her spiders had grown up right beside her and she had seen several new generations spawn from their egg sacks. They were her best and only friends and that scarred blonde ninja had killed one of them without mercy.

Her rage boiled over as she decided it was time to no longer hide. She put her hands together and started to focus her chakra into the center of her body. It hurt like hell to activate her blood limit, but she pushed through the agony as her bones rearranged and grew. Cartilage and organs changed in shape as another two sets of arms erupted out her side and these were covered in clumps of brown hair and had single blade like projections where the hands would be.

Hensa felt her spine elongate and she now stood seven foot tall and felt her other six eyes around her head open all now a pale yellow.

She rushed out of her hiding place and sprinted with enhanced speed due to the change of shape in her muscles. A few trees were unlucky enough to stand in her way and had large chunks of them torn out by the blades on her other four arms.

*present*

She cursed luck as her strength had allowed her to catch up, but the ninja had found their way back to their home. Hensa dived off the road and tried her best to make out how many guards there were, but she knew it would likely be several. It had been a stupid mistake to get vengeance, though now it was perfect.

As any hunter knew if you found where your prey lived, it became just a waiting game until they came out. Although, she did need to make a new lair and figured she'd take after her trapdoor friend and began to form herself a deep burrow to get some rest from the overuse of chakra in her current form.

* * *

The pair arrived at Ichiraku's and to Naruto's dread a sign was posted on the door.

"**Closed until further notice."**

Naruto felt his heart tear and along with the other clones began to pound away on the steel shutter.

"Teuchi, I have the supplies," he shouted and noticed the window above the shop opened and a rather tired Ayame with her hair all shaggy stuck her head out.

"Naruto," she questioned and saw the mob below and partially gasped.

For a moment Ayame thought that Naruto had adequately found a way to clone himself and now they had several new number one customers. But, she noticed that one dropped a barrel on the others foot and he puffed out of existence.

"I'll be down in a moment," she groaned and went back inside to change out of her robe.

She barely had the chance as she heard the sound of the steel shutter open, since her father had been out for a walk to help clear his head of business worries.

"I see you got everything," Teuchi stated as he lead the many clones into the kitchen to place the supplies in the freezer.

"I hope it wasn't too much of a problem to transport," he stated, but noticed the slump on Naruto's face that showed he didn't want to talk about it. That and he wondered why there were a few peanut shells in his hair.

"How about some fresh ramen as a thank you," he said and noticed how Naruto seemed happy, but recalled that he had other things to do for the village.

There was a moment of surprise for Teuchi that Naruto would turn down ramen, yet he knew the male would definitely put the village before himself. He sighed and wondered how he could make it up to the blonde, although his thoughts had come up empty. Ayame finally came down from upstairs, dressed in her white robe style chef jacket and a pair of black pants with a white stripe down the sides.

She stretched as she grabbed her blue apron off a hook on the wall and began to wrap her waist with it.

"Maybe we could drop by with ramen for everyone," she said and went into the kitchen to start boiling water to prep the mother sauce.

Hinata smiled at the realization that she just got herself a free meal, which was great since her food pill supply had been depleted on the trip back.

"Alright, let's move out," he yelled and all his clones joined and jogged off.

* * *

*Anbu Ruins*

He didn't exactly know how it took about twenty minutes to destroy the compound, and now they were in twenty plus hours and the elevator shaft seemed to just stretch on forever. Yamato slapped his hands together and forced more debris away from another door and did his best to elevate it to the top of the shaft.

The elevator shaft had become a thorn in their side as it had filled entirely with rock and metal. That and the number of basement floors underneath the building had been in the forty range and they had only made it down to about the tenth. While it was a problem to remove the wreckage the bigger issue was that they had to send teams to sweep each floor, since they kept the prisoners too dangerous for the village prison locked up on floors 1-10.

He grunted as his chakra level dropped and he swayed on his feet only to be caught by Sai who had made some horses with his ink and loaded them up with rocks to carry out on the rudimentary lift that was setup with a counter weight system.

"I really wish Naruto were here to make this work go by faster," he groaned and sat on the lift to head back up and get some rest after his hour shift.

Yamato smiled when he reached the top and there was a massive line of Ninja sleeping on mats or helping to carry rocks out of the building. Everyone was pitching in and it still felt like nothing had gotten done, but it was like any mission and no matter how impossible it seemed they needed to push forward.

The male took a seat in an unoccupied chair and did his best to wipe the sweat from his brow. He had nearly exhausted his chakra reserve and that was after he converted what was left of his stamina.

"_Kami, a little help would be nice,"_ he thought as he heard another scream and everyone cleared out of the cavern.

"Amaterasu," shouted an unknown voice as several ninja dashed out of the shaft and some had carried a few of the too tired out on their backs.

The remnants of the fire had also ceased forward progress, along with melting some of the rock into a solid mass so they now had to smash through a three hundred foot long square rock and excavate what they shattered.

He noticed the toad sage as he jumped in with a large scroll in hand to seal up the hazard. Jiraiya had been a blessing to have around, since sealing seemed to be the only possible means to actually stop the hell fire.

It only took a few minutes until they heard a shout that it was all clear and everyone jumped back down to continue.

"It's almost like mining, only deadlier," Jiraiya said as he walked back out into the main room of Anbu headquarters.

"I think that may be all of it."

"We can only hope."

"I'm going to the hot spring."

"Is now the time to be peeping at women?"

Jiraiya looked almost offended by the implication, but after having to jump into that dusty hole and be exposed to fire said to be as hot as the sun, he felt disgusting. Therefore, it only made sense he take a break, since the last black fire was seen an hour before the current incident he figured there was time.

"That's for research purposes only," he claimed and with a quick hand seal vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Yamato just decided to place his head down and get himself some sleep. It wasn't like he'd be capable until he got his stamina and chakra back.

* * *

Naruto had made sure to stay in front of Hinata the whole time to make sure he didn't have any specific thoughts rush to mind. It still made him uneasy to think he peeped on his friend and hadn't known it, but that wasn't the worst part. The bad part was now he was aware and each time he looked at her he wanted to see her naked.

"_Get out,"_ he thought and wanted to whack himself in the head, but that was the least of his concern as he felt something else pop up.

Hinata had wondered why he had begun to be so distant after he bumped into her breasts. It wasn't like it was his fault, though there was the possibility that he was just shy about it. That and she hadn't hit him, so it was just probably all still new to him to have physical contact without pain being the effect after.

To no surprise there were several ninja working outside to take things away, but they didn't notice any one they knew outside. It didn't make much sense, but they weren't there to talk when it was a simple cleanup job. Naruto and his clones walked in and immediately saw rocks being brought out on ink animals, which told him Sai had to be nearby.

He walked over to the shaft and figured this wouldn't take too long now that he was there and decided to pop up another dozen clones and sent them down.

Sakura thought it was stupid to be at the headquarters, but Tsunade had placed her in charge of medical oversight. It normally would've fallen onto Shizune, but she had her hands full due to Taro not letting any of the nurses treat him for fear of retribution from previous acts. It wasn't a farfetched worry, though she deeply wondered if he knew his choice would spite her in some way.

She walked in and to her joy it didn't look like Naruto was around, which meant she didn't need to confront him as of yet. It wasn't going to be easy, though the thing that made it difficult was that every clan leader she came across addressed her as Uchiha-san.

"_Why did I open my mouth and not keep it as a clan secret,"_ inner Sakura groaned and slumped to the floor in misery.

She went about the room and just did a diagnostic jutsu here and there to be certain no one else needed to be sent to the hospital.

"_I should probably go down the elevator to check," _she reasoned and walked over to the now up lift.

"Uchiha-san, it isn't safe enough for you down there," said an Anbu with a clear white mask

Down below the word Uchiha echoed and caught the ear of a hyperactive blond who had just formed a shadow clone chain up the wall to take out chunks of rock that Hinata was able to cut out by striking the weak spots with enhanced gentle fist techniques. There were also a few who put their packs to use and loaded themselves up and walk out with it.

"I was instructed to oversee this operation and will need to go down."

"As you wish, Uchiha-sama," he replied and turned to see a blonde ninja standing on the lift his face stunned.

Naruto had heard the word Uchiha and sprinted up the shaft to see if by some miracle Sasuke had returned, but all he saw was Sakura who looked like the world were about to collapse.

Sakura blinked a few times at the sight of her teammate and the fact she had wished to more delicately inform him of the matter.

"Naruto, I need to tell you something," she said and waved him to follow her.

Hinata didn't know why, but all of a sudden she got a terrible feeling when all the clones continued to work. Though, now they seemed to be simply going through the motions without any emotion.

"Naruto-kun," she asked and wondered where the real one had run off to.

* * *

*Hokage's office*

Tsunade looked at her desk now entirely clear of papers and clean enough to actually look like a small table instead of possible paper-mâché project. The place was deserted too so she decided to treat herself to a nice shot of sake from her drawer and enjoyed the liquid warmth as it flowed down her esophagus.

A knock at the door made her snap out of her alcohol induced Zen. She rolled her eyes and made herself presentable with a quick shove of the item back into its hiding place.

"Yes," she asked just before the door opened and in walked Naruto with a hurt expression on his face and Sakura who seemed just as sad.

Tsunade felt her heart break a bit when she saw them, yet she knew what was about to occur.

"Naruto."

"Why did someone call Sakura 'Uchiha' instead of 'Haruno'," he asked with his voice breaking on the new last name.

Tsunade knew that this would more than likely happen, although that did little ease the guilt she felt as the words came to her.

"Naruto, four days ago Sasuke was found incapacitated and brought back to the village for execution. Because of the absence of a curse seal it was deemed viable to continue the Uchiha clan," she said and waited for any form of outburst, but it never came.

"Sakura was married to Sasuke secretly and impregnated with his genetic legacy, which under village law made her the last Uchiha."

"Why is she the last, what about Sasuke," he asked and knew the answer when neither female answered him directly.

"Sasuke's condition was incurable; he was in Anbu headquarters while Amaterasu burned freely."

Naruto felt his heart shatter into pieces as the truth set in on him. He was completely gone. He wasn't off in some unknown place or hiding, his life ended and that meant he had failed to keep his promise. It made little sense to him how Sakura was even pregnant, but his sorrow slowly began to transform into anger.

"Sakura was never sick was she," he asked and all he got for a response was silence.

Naruto felt mortally wounded by the loss of his friend, but it only added to it when he became conscious of the deceit baa-chan had used against him.

"Was that the reason you sent me on a mission," he questioned and when Sakura tried to comfort him with her hand he pushed it away and looked almost disgusted that he hadn't been told.

"Who else knew," he demanded and still only received silence.

Tsunade decided to keep her mouth shut in this situation; since Naruto was resilient he could recover from this. However, the last thing he needed was to have the thought that more of his friends betrayed him.

He couldn't take it anymore as no one answered him and he left. Sakura honestly didn't know what to do as he didn't shout or scream like she expected him to. It just seemed like something was missing in him.

"I think for the time being Naruto will need to be alone, you're dismissed," she said and watched as her apprentice left with tears in her eyes.

Tsunade wasn't certain what to feel. She loved Naruto like one of her own children, but she needed to be careful with him currently. His emotions controlled how much chakra he received from the Kyubbi and if he sunk low enough there was a chance the seal could break. However, she hated the fact he suffered so much. This was another injury and she did wonder if he would be alright if he pushed everyone away.

He trudged home the best he could as he felt a mixture of fury and sorrow, which made him want to vomit at the acidic taste in his mouth. Naruto stood outside his home as his mind longed for some solid answers.

"_Why didn't anyone tell me? Did everyone know,"_ he thought and finally found a clear enough moment to turn the knob and enter inside.

He didn't even bother to lock the door he felt so lost. His stomach gurgled and pleaded for him to feed it, yet it felt like the faintest poke to the pain he was in. Out of instinct he dropped his pack that had still been on his back at the door and tossed his jacket to the ground after.

The sorrow inside him went volatile as he walked toward his room and saw the picture of team seven. His palms began to shake as he balled them into fists and finally was free to lash out. He grabbed the picture frame and threw it up against the wall as hard as he could. The glass cover exploded and only made him more destructive as it made him feel better to break things.

He shouted a feral growl and began to take his aggression out on the rest of his home. He flipped the couch over smashed the chairs in his kitchen against the table, broke every plate and bowl he owned and even so far as to toss some of his microwave ramen out his open window and into the garbage.

It had only been about five minutes of uninhibited rage, but when it vanished he still felt more pain than he thought possible. He held onto his chest and took some steady breaths to keep himself from collapsing, yet it was too late as he fell down onto his bed. Tears began to drip from his eyes as it became clear that it wouldn't bring back what was lost.

It had been a long time since the academy, but once again Naruto was left crying himself to sleep.


	14. Home Remedy

A/N. Another chapter for all of you to enjoy. I have finally found time to update given my graduation from college. I am hunting in a destitute job market so I think until the time comes that I find employment I should be able to write more of this story. I do apologize for the time taken off, but when you spend hours of effort to earn a degree; it is only right that you take some time off to relax when you finish. (Don't forget to review)

* * *

A day had passed and there still hadn't been a single sighting of him. Hinata had wondered what happened after Naruto had vanished with someone else, yet she initially hadn't thought anything of it as she continued to work into the evening. She knew he'd return. The blessing of the ramen delivery made her glad that she would get to eat, despite her depleted foot pill supply, and see her crush again. However, her hope began to sink as she drained the four bowls of miso ramen; which, while they were rejuvenating, didn't make up for the fatigue she carried from her mission.

She had thought to return to the compound for a few hours of rest, yet there was more need of her byakugan to search for injured prisoners and pockets of black flame. The job went well into the night and it was with no minute amount of relief that she accepted her break to return home and sleep.

Her arms and legs ached even when she refused to use them, yet she was excited that she could push herself much longer than before. Normally, she would've broken down after a few hours of constant exertion. However, she stood strong through the small twitches that felt like stabs in her nerves.

"_I hope that I have some of that numbing cream left,"_ she prayed as she shambled home on her tender leg muscles.

* * *

*Hokage's office *

Tsunade felt depressed after she dealt with Naruto dropping by, though he handled the devastating news better than she predicted. Then again, she had seen the way Naruto faced his problems. He'd normally be gloomy at first and finally break out of it through sheer force of will. However, she didn't sense that when he departed from her office and feared that this was the burden that would finally break him.

The delivery of the news wasn't the end of the trials she was meant to endure. As she put away the mission dossier for the next day, the door opened and in walked a rather distressed female. Kurenai had drunk her well of patience dry as she stormed into the Hokage's office and worried she splintered the doors when they smashed into the walls.

"Tsunade-sama, I am here due to medical concerns for my student," she ordered the village leader.

Tsunade gave a stare that pierced deeper than one of her chakra infused punches, if possible. She dug her nails into the wood of her desk and took a deep breath to cork the leaks that appeared in the damn she had built to restrain her anger, which was fueled by a combination of guilt and frustration instead of a certain white haired pervert.

"Kurenai, what is the meaning of this," she asked as her vocal cords twitched in barely confined fury.

Kurenai noticed the look of anger from the village leader and decided to rethink her frontal assault and practice diplomacy, since it did seem to offer higher chances of survival.

"Hinata, she needs to be placed on inactive duty for…medical reasons."

"What medical reason? Her condition was treated and Masahiro released her for active duty."

"I don't believe Masahiro was thorough in his prognosis."

Tsunade sighed and while she didn't expect Taro was wrong, she anticipated Kurenai wouldn't leave her be until she relented. It was already hard enough to know Naruto was suffering, yet here she still had other problems to attend to.

"_The work never ends_," she thought and decided to concede to get some rest at the Hokage's mansion.

"I will have her placed on inactive duty until another examination is provided."

"Why can't you…," Kurenai stopped when she noticed a throb in Tsunade's forehead.

The sannin was known for her insane strength and she wasn't about to risk any chance of feeling a blow to her body.

"Hai," she replied like a whipped animal.

"_Why do people think they can give the village leader orders,"_ Tsunade wondered as she scribbled a fast note and turned to see Shizune was gone.

"_Where did she go again,"_ she wondered.

* * *

Hinata felt like her muscles were filled with gravel as each movement caused small tremors in random sore spots. She was disappointed that she hadn't gotten to spend more time with Naruto, but as she thought about it all his clones just seemed to vanish after about an hour. Normally that wouldn't happen so long as he didn't lose his concentration, yet in unison they all burst into a cloud of smoke. It was pleasant to have Naruto's clones around, yet it wasn't the same as the real thing.

She had tried to talk with one for a little while, but that had ended when another one dropped a rock on its' foot and it puffed away. A smile crossed her face at the moment, though it faded when she recalled that it was Sakura that had shown up and took him away.

"_How can Sakura ruin so many of my chances," _she thought as she rubbed her hands together feverishly.

It was the second time that Sakura had ruined things. It had to be some coincidence that she managed to always get between her and Naruto. There were moments that she wondered if Sakura took some secret perverse joy in crushing her hopes of a relationship. Hinata wasn't angry, yet she was frustrated in that the more effort she put into reaching out to him the further away he seemed to be pulled.

She noticed the compound come into view and became aware of the perspiration that gathered on her brow from the rapid pace she maintained due to her heated thought process. She wiped her forehead with the white part of her sleeve, which alerted her to the condition of her personal hygiene as a brownish discoloration appeared on the creamy white cloth.

"_I should shower before I go get some rest_," she thought with relief, until she saw Neji walking in her direction with a concerned expression on his face.

"Hinata, Hiashi-sama wishes to meet with you and Hanabi," he said and waited for her acknowledgment before he turned and led the way.

* * *

*Hiashi's study*

He rubbed his left hand through his hair as the frustration had finally started to truly set in. It wasn't a detrimental issue for the clan's survival, yet as any ninja knew a single cut could fester into a debilitating disease. Hiashi looked over the written document and was confused about what could've caused the union of a missing nin (who abandoned the village) and Sakura Haruno (a loyal apprentice of the Hokage's).

"_It makes little sense that the Uchiha came to the decision on his own," _he figured and felt there was more at work than was let on.

It did peak his curiosity to know how this was accomplished, but it wasn't of any real worth to know. The marriage was confirmed as legal and that made Sakura untouchable due to her clan rights as the sole survivor.

A knock on the door alerted him to the arrival of his daughters and nephew, at which he promptly removed his prescription "reading glasses" and prepared to inform them of the issue at hand.

The trio entered the room and each of them knew the routine as they all bowed to him with Hinata and Hanabi walking forward while Neji remained behind them.

"Hinata, Hanabi, Neji, all of you are aware of the incident that occurred at the Anbu headquarters due to an enemy attack," he began and noticed how all of them nodded to show their affirmation.

"The information that wasn't provided is that the Uchiha clan has returned to the village," he stated and saw minute changes in the expressions of Neji and Hinata.

Neither of them was certain what that meant. If the Uchiha clan had returned, then that meant Sasuke or Itachi had been captured. However, both knew that the chances of this were slim as neither had been sighted in months and both were skilled enough to avoid such an occurrence.

"All of you are too young to know, but the extinction of the Uchiha clan left the Hyuuga to possess the most powerful dojutsu in the village. However, several generations of breeding could see that changed."

"Hiashi-sama, what stance does the clan have on this announcement," Hanabi asked as she seemed the only one unaffected by the information due to no personal bonds to any Uchiha or associates.

"Given the fragility of the situation, it would be best to establish friendship with the newest Uchiha to maintain some form of control in their numbers should clan restoration be used," he responded and put away the paperwork into his desk.

"Who is the person that we need to maintain a friendship with," Neji asked, since he knew each of them would probably need to make a personal effort to make a positive impression.

"Uchiha…Sakura," Hiashi said and watched as none of them seemed too affected by the surprise.

Hinata felt her mouth go dry as some of the days' events began to clarify. She wasn't certain that she heard the name Uchiha when she last saw Naruto, but now it made sense to her. Her mind dared to wander, yet she knew that needed to wait until she vacated the area.

Hiashi had delivered the news and he was impressed in the controlled manor all of his relatives took it. It didn't matter to him if the information devastated them or not, he only wanted them to hide those feelings and maintain the clans emotional control standards. That said he himself had hidden his aggravation in the need to personally obtain some information in regards to future problems that could arise.

"All of you are dismissed," he said and waited for each of them to bow and leave.

It wasn't a real concern for him as he knew it could take several years before an adequate amount of Uchiha could be fathered. It would be even longer if the baby inside of Sakura turned out to be a female, yet it was still a possible threat to their position within the village.

When the Uchiha were massacred it was a sad day in the village, but it also provided a gap of adequate ninja that the Hyuuga were able to fill. Not to mention, their numbers in Anbu were at their highest among all the clans due to the possession of the only dojutsu left in Konoha. The Hyuuga had remained one of the strongest clans, but the Sharingan's return could make them become secondary again.

There was, as with all challenges, the opportunity to grow stronger. However, he needed to speak with someone in concern to the adverse side effects crossbreeding blood limits could produce.

* * *

Hinata had returned to her room after wishing Neji and Hanabi a good night, but it wasn't good at all. It had started out as a simple ache in her stomach, but the pain grew into a painful gouge that tore from her chest cavity and out her back.

"_Naruto-kun, did they tell you,"_ she pondered and found herself pacing, uncertain of what had occurred.

Her mind began to rush through all the scenarios, yet all of them were horrible. If Sakura had told him, he was probably in an insurmountable amount of pain. Hinata had more sense than to think Naruto didn't have eyes for his teammate. However, the presence of a child within her clearly separated them and that void couldn't be crossed. While this did offer the benefit of taking Sakura off the market, it did foster more questions.

Sakura was pregnant with an Uchiha child, which begged the question of who was the father? Sakura wouldn't just let any man touch her and if the attention was unwanted she was more than skilled enough to defend herself. The conclusion from there was that she willingly let herself get pregnant from Itachi…or Sasuke.

"_Naruto-kun,_" she thought with tears in her eyes.

Her heart began to break for him, since it probably hurt in two separate ways for him. The first was that he had lost to Sasuke again even in the pursuit of the person he wanted to be with, but the second was that he had returned only to impregnate Sakura and didn't give him so much as a chance encounter. Though it was unknown if he was still alive or in the village, but with the Amaterasu flooding Anbu Headquarters he probably…

Hinata bit her lip and had completely forgotten about her bruised muscles and bones, since her heart ached for Naruto more than any physical pain she could endure.

* * *

Neji had offered a pair of good nights, but his plans had nothing to do with rest. He turned his bed on its' side and cleared the furniture of his desk and chair to maximize the limited space he had. It was midnight and that encouraged him to hurry as he was restricted on time too. Orders were still to clean up Anbu headquarters and required him to be up at six in the morning. It put a hole in the time he had to train, which was why he was going to only get four hours of sleep.

He sat down and began to stretch out his tight muscles with ease as he slid down into a 180 split and walked forward with his hands until he was lying flat with his chest against the floor. The joints in his fingers ached like matches ignited underneath his skin. The exertion was brought about by hundreds of gentle fist strikes to rupture out chucks of rock for extraction in the elevator shaft. It wouldn't normally be a problem, but his chakra coils felt burned out from the sudden releases of chakra. The nerves in his arms stung severely, though he continued to struggle against it and lifted his lower body to hold a handstand

"_I've been too lenient on myself,"_ he thought with a growl as he started his rep of fifty handstand pushups.

His abs and biceps burned like smoldering coals as he pushed himself back up and refused to relent in the time between each movement. Neji had exercised each and every night since his "draw" with Hinata. However, it had already begun to show in the rubbery feel of his muscles and the random aches in his bones. Normally he'd allow himself days to rest and recuperate, though he recently couldn't rest so long since his ego was bruised.

"_I'll prove that I'm just as strong as the main house,"_ he affirmed and, despite the pain, forced his body to break through the wall he had struck.

* * *

Konoha hospital was docile for once, which was due to the sudden outflow of patients over the past few days. The word around the village was that there had been an improvement in medical diagnosis and technology. However, the real reason came down to a certain black haired clan member who had been left without supervision.

*The Day Prior*

Shizune had wondered why on earth she had been stuck with the keeping of Masahiro, but the weirdest thing was that he had requested for her personally. She had wanted to refuse, since Taro was still considered a chemical hazard to females. However, she reluctantly agreed due to her sensei having other serious matters to attend to and Taro wasn't on that list.

She felt like a typical nurse as she pushed him around the hospital and brought him his meals, but it wasn't as hard on her given that Tsunade taught her how to close her nasal passage with a chakra technique. It had confused her to why he wanted her, however with the glares he got from all the nurses she guessed she'd be the least likely to poison him. That prediction still needed to be proven as she brought him to the main lobby to collect documents for Tsunade.

"Why are we stopping here," Taro asked confused as to why he wasn't back at his office already so he could keep up with appointments.

"What," Shizune responded with her hand next to her recovering ear.

"Why did we stop," he asked slowly after he rolled his eyes.

"Tsunade-sama asked that I bring some papers to her," she informed and walked over to the nurse station.

He felt helpless being stuck in a chair, which was why he had originally volunteered to walk on his crutches. That idea had failed, since he barely had a functioning leg left with the trauma he suffered from the strike and explosion. The other issue was the pheromone on him that had thankfully begun to fade due to his sweating. However, what caused conflict was that women would sense it and follow him around like a pack of wolves after an injured animal.

"Hurry up," he called at Shizune who ignored him as she double checked papers put on the counter top.

Taro hated to just sit and be bored, but he saw the lobby schedule and noticed how there was a certain class on it.

"Child care and pregnancy tips," he said and noticed how the doctor for the current day hadn't been chosen yet.

He noticed a nearby pen and wrote his name into the spot.

"_Time to cause a little havoc,"_ he thought as he began to roll away toward the designated room.

Shizune paled at the mountain of paperwork that needed transport, but she figured Izumo and Kotetsu could bring the papers back once she sent a clone to inform them.

She felt her face want to fall off when she noticed that her wheelchair bound companion had vanished when she was gone for no more than two minutes.

"_Where did he go,"_ she thought and wondered how he could take off so quickly, though ninja seemed highly skilled at being faster than they looked even when hobbled.

"_I'd better find Masahiro quickly before he incites a riot,"_ she mentally screeched as she could imagine the trouble she'd be in if Tsunade had another fire to put out.

* * *

*Medical Lobby 07*

She sighed with confusion about why she even needed to be in attendance. She knew everything about human anatomy from her medic nin training under Tsunade and could ask her for information when she needed it.

However, those weren't the reasons why she couldn't stand to be waiting for the lecture to begin. Sakura couldn't bring herself to focus on learning when she felt an overwhelming guilt pressing down on her heart and brain. Her fingers offered some comfort as they traveled through her pink locks to ease the tension she felt.

She had decided to lean against the clear glass wall that looked out onto the nearby rose garden. It didn't help her loneliness to see patients in hospital gowns surrounded by their family and friends. The noise level of the room seemed to grow as her attention diverted to the several couples in attendance. There seemed to be an abundance of females further along than her. They looked like they had swallowed watermelons.

Granted, she had just recently begun her pregnancy, but when she saw females with their attentive male companions she felt stabbed with envy. It wasn't even an entire week that had gone by and she already felt the itch to have someone care, but that wasn't the only issue that made her uncomfortable. The chances she would even know one of the women in the room would be slim, though she figured having a friendly face around would be more awkward to deal with than appearing single.

"Good morning, Uchiha-sama," said a branch house Hyuuga couple that entered into the room and took their place on one of the several padded futons.

"Good morning," she responded on instinct since each time she heard the name it stung at her like hornet stings.

Sakura began to regret more with each day that she had this burden placed on her shoulders. The reason behind it was good, yet the weight she was forced to now carry was beyond what she imagined it could be. She doubted that she could admit it openly, but it felt like her connection with Naruto had been severed in a single day.

Though she couldn't blame him for the reaction he had. She had originally denied that Sasuke was dead, but Naruto had accepted it and the shock put him into isolation. Tsunade had also ordered her to give him his space, since he needed to come to terms with it. It made sense, since her being around would only serve to drive him further away as he saw what was left of his teammate grow in her.

Naruto was a lot of things, but to her he was the lifeline of their team; the one person she could trust to beat the odds and encourage her along the path. However, with that now stripped from her grasp she honestly wondered how she could cope. She did have Kakashi to help her still, yet the man was chronically late even when she demanded him to be on time.

"Guess we all deal with grief differently," she said certain now why he wasn't there.

Naruto and Kakashi had probably sealed themselves off to deal with the loss. Naruto more than likely kept blaming himself for Sasuke leaving and that he couldn't stop it. Kakashi felt guilty that he had given an assassination technique to an emotionally unstable ninja. That and to have another Uchiha die that was close to him only further split his old scar with Obito open.

"Sakura-chan," said a voice that she felt could only make the day get worse.

"What, no Uchiha-chan," she ordered and had to stifle a laugh at seeing Taro shorter than her in his wheelchair.

"If you knew and used my full name I'll do the same," he said and moved himself to the front of where everyone was facing.

He was halted in his tracks when he felt a weight anchor him.

"You're teaching this class?"

"Yes," he retorted set on teaching the class.

"Are you qualified to do this?"

"Is anyone else in this room a doctor?"

Sakura blinked a few times and had to look up at the ceiling.

"_Kami, if this is a way of punishing me…well done,"_ she thought as the dread of someone like Taro teaching about children.

* * *

*present time*

He blinked a series of times as he recalled how it all began, though a shout from Tsunade made his ears ache.

"So, what made you think teaching a pregnancy class was a good idea?"

"I was being supportive as Sakura's doctor and the class would've been canceled without my presence," Taro responded with the "honest" truth.

The blonde female looked over at her student who nodded her head in affirmation. Tsunade hadn't expected Taro to teach a class and let his personal views poison others.

"What was it you said that caused the uproar," she asked even though she had it reported from several of the people who were present.

Taro rolled his eyes and looked away knowing this like everything else was about to be blown out of proportion. He had just responded honestly to remove the delusion that children brought only joy and happiness.

"I quote: The truth about children is that they're parasites. They cry at you when they're born, they learn to talk back when their teenagers, they borrow from you when they're middle-aged and they leave you alone to die when they're old and sick of you being alive," she stated.

Taro decided to keep his mouth shut and scratched the side of his head not ashamed that he spoke what he had observed over the years of life he'd seen.

"There has been a surge of abortion requests," Tsunade shouted and smacked the report against her desk.

"Konoha doesn't offer abortions," Sakura said and noticed the continued stare from her Sensei and nodded her head in realization.

"Consider yourself on vacation."

"What?"

"You're injured and have four months of vacation you've refused to use."

"You can't," he began, but was cut off by the controlled voice of a furious Hokage.

"Reduction of stress has been shown to encourage healing, consider this an S-rank mission from the Hokage," she said and noticed how her words came down like a hail storm upon him.

"Where am I going to live," he asked to throw a possible wrench into her plans.

The Sannin did her best to restrain her rage and accidentally knocked some of her papers off the desk. A nearby Shizune began to pick up the items so as to not have to search for them later.

Taro smiled as she was bent over and enjoyed the view, which was noticed by both Sakura and Tsunade.

"The Hokage's mansion has extra rooms doesn't it," he said with a smirk, which vanished the second he noticed the demon stare of the village leader.

"You're to return to your clan house," she ordered and cleared her throat to hint Shizune to stop "flaunting" her figure.

"Fine. May I speak with you privately, Tsunade-sama?"

"I have the fires you started to put out, so denied."

"Then I'll be blunt, if a leader is uncertain about something they can't properly function in their role, so get over whatever it is that you screwed up," Taro said with trained defiance as he backed his wheelchair out the double doors.

Tsunade began to steam at the balls Taro had to tell her that and if he had been anyone else she probably would've punched him in the face to shut his mouth up for a few months. However, not even the Hokage was above the village laws.

"Uchiha-chan, see to it that Masahiro returns to the hospital safely," she grumbled through clenched teeth.

"Hai," Sakura replied and ran off after the cripple.

"Tsunade-sama," Shizune asked a bit scared to possibly catch any residual anger, but that never came as her master merely continued on her paperwork.

Taro tried to move swiftly, since the harder he pushed his body the greater his chance to regenerate.

Sakura followed him without a word, but he suddenly stopped certain it was her behind him.

"That advice goes for you too - the getting over it, not the leader part," he said without turning to look at her.

"I'm fine."

"No, you aren't. In any other situation you'd have defended Tsunade or my actions, something has both of you uncomfortable around each other," he explained for once seeming neutral in his observation.

"What if we are," she growled a bit on edge, but also impressed with how well he could see underneath the underneath.

"I don't honestly care for the situation; but any trouble in the head of the village will trickle down to every other person beneath them, ninja or not," he stated in a tone that made it appear like he could shut down his emotional capabilities.

The cold observation he could maintain irked her inner self as he abruptly halted and she bumped into him. Sakura wasn't sure what it was, though a geyser from some unknown part of her heart erupted to the surface.

"Fuck you, Masahiro," she shouted, though the effect was lost as she noticed where they were.

Sakura hadn't paid any attention to their location, but they were just below the window of the Hokage's office. A muffled shout was heard before the window exploded in a shower of glass shards and a chair landed on the ground before them.

"Good, we're at anger now," he said delighted that the pair had moved into the 3rd stage of grief.

* * *

*Naruto's Apartment*

He opened his eyes and felt like he had overslept. That was expected, however, as he had dozed for an entire day - or at least he wondered if he had. His stomach gurgled in protest and his bladder rivaled it due to the pressure it had built up.

"Fine," he groaned and languidly slid out of his bed.

Naruto hadn't tried to keep comfortable as he was still in his dirt and sweat saturated clothes. He managed to venture out of his bedroom, stepping on bits of broken dishes as he went. It was a good thing he was too down to even take his sandals off, since he'd probably get tetanus from all the crude blades on the floor.

His bathroom was the first stop, but he tried to avoid the reflection in the mirror. It was a certainty that he looked awful, but it didn't do justice to how he felt inside. He was gone now. Sasuke had been taken from them, but he didn't even know by what or who. His hands tightened into fists as he thought more about all they had gone through.

Zabuza in wave country, Orochimaru at the Chunin exam and village invasion, and even Itachi's attack when they searched for Tsunade. Team 7 had stood strong against the worst being thrown at it. It drove him mad how they could come through so much, yet when he left he couldn't be there to save him.

"_Why wasn't I strong enough to stop him,"_ he growled as he recalled the rescue mission and his failure at the valley's end.

If he had just been stronger, if Jiraiya had trained him better, if Tsunade had sent more back-up, if Sakura had been strong enough to assist, if Kakashi hadn't taught Sasuke the Chidori... Naruto felt his brain run through all the "what if's" and, ultimately, it came down to him.

"Why wouldn't you stay," he asked no one as the sound of something wet hitting the floor made him realize his hands stung.

He looked at the tile floor and noticed some well defined red droplets of blood that proved he had squeezed his nails into his palm too hard. The pain felt like it was numb even when he wasn't. He rubbed the rips in his hands against his orange towel and walked to the kitchen to shut his stomach up.

The kitchen had seen better days, though he decided to ignore the chaos as he found a single container of ramen had survived. He knew the cooking instructions by heart and on more than one occasion completed them in his sleep. He eyeballed the quantity of water at the sink with the next stop being the microwave. He noticed the door wouldn't close properly, since the locking hook on the door had snapped off when he broke a plate on it the night prior.

He improvised with a wooden spoon that he wedged between the door and locking point to keep it stuck in place. Two minutes followed by a sitting on the counter top for another one. Naruto's facial expression didn't change the entire length of the cooking process, but part of him did wonder where to go from here.

The machine chimed to show it finished and allowed him to remove the container and with the supplied chopsticks just decided to eat right away. The broth and noodles were still a bit too hot, though he hardly noticed now a bit too deep in thought.

"_Where can I go from here,"_ he thought in conflict with himself.

Naruto still hadn't given up on his dream to be Hokage, since he still wanted to protect everyone in the village of Konoha. However, the next reason was he knew with Sasuke gone he would certainly be hunted and killed if he returned to the village. The only real chance he had was if the Kage offered a pardon or rescinded the order to seek and destroy.

His plan had been to become Hokage and, in the worst case, deal with Sasuke on his own and save him from the darkness. The opportunity to do such a thing was now in the past. The miasma that surrounded Sasuke was far too great for him to pierce and in the end it consumed him and now there wasn't even a fragment of him left.

"Bastard," he gurgled and narrowly gagged when he realized there was noodle and broth occupying his esophagus.

He spat and hacked up a little salt on the table, but honestly didn't feel much like eating. He slumped in his step as he wandered back to his bed, which provided some form of comfort as it was the only place he really felt safe. He had spent so many nights crying there growing up that it felt like his only real best friend.

The thought of his other "friends" began to make him feel nauseous. Sakura hadn't told him a thing and he wondered how long she planned to keep it from him. Baa-chan had probably known for a while and still refused to tell him, but out of all of them he had hoped that Kakashi would have been honest with him. Though the man was still a Jounin and still took secrets very seriously.

Naruto's cerulean eyes gazed over at his wall clock, which read 1am as it did the night before. He knew he should've already been up and starting his morning workout. Then again, in his current state he honestly didn't feel like training would be a beneficial use of his time.

"Why couldn't today be cancelled," he asked as he pulled his blankets up and put a pillow over his head.

* * *

Hinata blinked a few times as she ventured across the village, though her ability to navigate had been severely hindered by the lack of sleep she got. It was difficult to find sleep, since each time she closed her eyes she saw Naruto sitting alone on the swing at the academy doing his best to hide his tears. This resulted in her spending most of the night awake and when she did finally clear her head long enough to rest the soreness acted up.

Despite the tired bags under her eyes a smile graced her face as she approached Ichiraku's and pulled back the flap at the entrance. The momentary hope of finding her blonde crush at his most frequent hang out was crushed, since there was no one there matching Naruto's description. The rest of her body managed to slump along with her tired eyes as she entered.

"Ayame, Teuchi," she called and saw them come out seeming concerned.

"Oh, Hinata, would you like more ramen," Teuchi asked as he went back to working his culinary skills on dough destined for ramen noodle greatness.

"Has Naruto-kun come by," she asked and was stunned when both Ayame and her father shook their heads hinting the negative.

It was no village secret that Naruto loved ramen, but to go several days without it she feared for his health. She decided to sit down and eat, since he would be along eventually. She ordered a few bowls and ended up waiting for a couple hours with nothing to show for it other than a large bill and a sorrowful expression.

"_Where are you, Naruto-kun,"_ she wondered as the bowls were taken away.

Ayame took the bowls into the back to be cleaned, but now she could clearly see the disappointment on the girl's face. She had noticed the affection the girl had for Naruto and she frankly didn't want to continue to sit back and watch him suffer. Though, she couldn't exactly point her in the right direction to find him.

However, as she thought about it she could hopefully put her into close proximity with him. Ayame put the bowls Hinata had emptied into the sink in the back and found a delivery container that was large enough to fit a small "Naruto" portion for travel. It didn't take her long to prepare it, since she knew so long as it was Ichiraku ramen Naruto wouldn't mind.

Looking at the amount, she decided to bring out the larger delivery container, which held a total of six ramen bowels. Ayame even decided to fill them with "Naruto portions" as they were about to begin selling. It was where the bowl had double the noodles and broth that filled nearly to the brim.

"_Now, how do I approach this,"_ Ayame thought as she carried the cumbersome item to the front of the shop and placed it behind the counter top.

"Hinata-chan," Ayame said as best she could to hide her breathlessness.

"Hai," she asked with tired eyes that showed she wasn't interested.

"Was the ramen to your liking?"

"Hai, I am satisfied," she responded feeling empty despite the full stomach.

"You're worried about Naruto too," Ayame asked and had to stifle a laugh as the Hyuuga appeared to panic at the blatant observation of her feelings.

Hinata couldn't fully find the word that would best convey her feelings, but somehow found the common sense to nod her head.

"He hasn't stopped by to eat since we reopened…we just want to make sure he's eating enough," she said with concern that the blonde would wither away without some sort of caloric intake.

"Did he order anything to eat at home," Hinata asked thinking that Naruto would prefer to eat at home given his emotional state.

"No, we prepared an order for him, but were too busy to deliver it," Ayame said with concern and sorrow.

"We are," Teuchi asked perplexed as he popped his head up to look through the back window of the shop to the front.

Ayame laughed as she turned around and gave her father a death glare and mouthed the word "yes".

Teuchi felt his blood run cold as he recalled that look before in his wife's eyes when it was an important matter, which meant it'd be best for his health to go along.

"Um, Ayame get back here we have several orders to fill," he pretend ordered with sweat drops running down the back of his head.

Hinata blinked a few times at the situation and wasn't dumb enough to not see the plan underneath the lies. They had seen the way she reacted to Naruto some time ago and knew her feelings clearly. It wasn't the hardest thing to detect given they weren't trained like Shinobi to lie, but they were trying and that gave her more reason to play along.

"I can deliver it," she confirmed with a soft smile.

"Thank you, Hinata," Ayame said and heaved the case to the counter top.

"Naruto's house is..."

"I've been to Naruto-kun's apartment," Hinata cut Ayame off, but blushed at what she said.

Ayame stared at her for a bit, since she figured that it made sense. She had gone on missions with Naruto before so it was obvious she'd have to grab him from his home time to time.

Hinata hadn't been on the same line of thought, since her affirmation could be taken in more an adult relationship. Her face became a few shades darker as all her blood saturated the capillaries throughout her head. Ayame had to blink for a moment at how swiftly the female vanished out the door and managed to leave the lunch box.

She was certain she heard a small explosion as a more controlled Hinata entered back inside and grabbed the container.

"Arigato," she said and walked out with the item.

Ayame sweat dropped, but knew that at least now Naruto would get the food he needed. Though, as she looked at the ground there were wet foot prints where Hinata had stepped.

"_It isn't raining outside," _she thought and came back as her father cleared his throat.

"Did she pay for her food," he asked to make sure his business stayed afloat.

The amount of sweat on his daughter's face told him that she hadn't.

"We'll just take it out of their mission payment," he said and went back to work.

* * *

She felt tired, but also disappointed in what had happened to her clothes. The remaining strips of cloth she held between her fingers before she sighed and tossed them into a heap. Blood limit transformation was her stronger form, yet the only drawback was that it always ripped apart her clothing.

To further complicate matters, she didn't have any replacements to cover her nude body. She hadn't risked venturing out of her burrow, since she didn't want some pervert to spy on her. Therefore, she just rested in a small web hammock in the dark of her trapdoor burrow. Her children had seen her problem and working together made her a robe of white spider silk, which was currently drying from its' soak in charcoal to make it black for stealth.

Hensa began to pop various joints of her body out of boredom rather than discomfort as she sat in the center of a silk web. The lack of sunlight didn't faze her, since spiders naturally tried to keep out of it. Her ability to hide had made it easier to stay around the ninja village, but getting into it was another matter that continued to vex her. She had tried to burrow under the wall, but to her surprise that wall went deeper than it appeared.

That made her only chance to enter a covert infiltration, but she had scouted with her spiders and Konoha definitely took their security seriously. There hadn't been a security detail that didn't have at least four ninja and they were all Chunin rank or higher. Then a younger pale eyed female like the one she was after was at the front entrance and she had some weird thing with her eyes active. She wasn't sure what the blood limit allowed to do, but she wasn't about to chance it getting her killed.

Hensa had specialized in infiltration when she was still a member of the hidden lock village and knew she just had to maintain her patience. The night before she released two dozen spiders into the village and would do so again to increase her search rate. She couldn't care less about Konoha village, since there was blood that needed to repaid for her dead family and it had to be the from the one who spilled it.

She continued to get her rest, which was a means of preparation for any infiltration mission. Her stamina and chakra would need to be at their best to ensure that she hopefully came out of it alive.

* * *

*Outside Ichiraku's*

A palm size brown spider slowly made its web between a sign and a wall. The summoned arachnid was only informed to locate the female or male that it had recognized before. The spider had fairly poor eye sight when not having its' master look through it. However, it could recognize scents and make out an objects color or size when close enough.

A sweet melon scent through its' mouth hinted to the presence of the dark haired female it was looking for, but the scent already waned in strength. It didn't have time to be stealthy as it dropped to the ground and scurried into a dark corner along the trail of houses to keep chase.

* * *

"_I can do this, I'm capable of doing this,"_ she thought to steady herself for the task at hand

She hoped that Naruto would be home and the initial signs were promising, since nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary. She thought to use her Byakugan to see if he was home, but the chance of accidentally seeing him indecent made her face burn red hot. Part of her did secretly wish to see that, but she wasn't emotionally prepared and he probably wasn't either.

"Do you think he's home," asked her water clone behind as it struggled with the travel container of ramen.

The clone seemed a little worse for wear, since it appeared to have soaked clothes and left wet footprints on the ground. Hinata had wanted to practice more before using a water clone, but after her poor choice of words she couldn't go back in and face Ayame.

"I hope he is," she replied and walked up the stairs to his apartment door.

She felt her shyness encourage her to run in the other direction due to her heart rate spiking each time she made a movement closer to the knob.

"_What if he wants to be alone? Maybe he'll let me in, since I did bring food,"_ she reasoned and felt a little more comfort at that.

She honestly didn't feel like she had the courage to come for a personal visit, yet she felt that if she could excuse it as a business visit that it'd be perfectly safe.

"_I need to make sure Naruto-kun is alright,"_ she reassured herself and knocked twice as quickly and quietly as possible.

To no surprise there wasn't a single response. He was probably out, which meant she would be better off coming back later. She figured it'd be best to make sure he locked his door.

The knob rotated and provided her with access, which made her jaw go slack in shock. Her mind began to race as she considered her options.

"_I should close the door right now. Why would Naruto-kun's door be open? What's that on the floor," _she rambled and noticed at the entrance Naruto's pack and his jacket.

It had been a full day and she had hoped he'd have put his equipment away and thrown his clothes into the hamper. Her expression turned to dread as she looked from the items to the room and noticed the aftermath of whatever pandemonium took place. The couch was knocked over, and there were several fragments of some unknown material that crunched as she stepped on it. It looked like some type of ceramic, which was a surprise given she thought Naruto only ate from ramen containers.

Hinata normally would've left if the place appeared normal, but this was far from the messy condition she saw prior to their last mission. She moved cautiously, not certain if someone had ransacked the place and was still around. The kitchen had seen better days as she noted the shattered plates and the ramen containers that were tossed around. Though, what concerned her more was the lack of the salty ramen smell that lingered on her previous visits.

On her previous visit she noted how the apartment had the refined smell of stale ramen and Naruto's forest scent, but the aroma had cleared out so he hadn't eaten recently. The open window was the reason for the clean air now flooding the place, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. However, she wondered if whoever broke in escaped through the window.

She closed the window and noticed the numerous instant noodles that made it into the trash and most of the alley way below.

"_Who would do such a thing to Naruto-kun's home,"_ she thought with contained rage at the fact someone would try to destroy what was his.

A soft groan made her back up against the kitchen cabinets a kunai instantly in her hand. Hinata had to take a moment to calm down, since she was still on edge from their mission. She slid the item back in her carry pouch and stood away from the wall.

She ventured into the living room and inspected the open bedroom door to see Naruto face up with blankets covering his body, but a pillow rested on top of his head. Her heart stopped as she feared that whoever broke in had smothered Naruto in his sleep.

"Naruto-kun," she gasped and rushed into the room to remove the item to see if there was any possibility that she could resuscitate him.

The removal of the thing blocking his vision was enough to cause the blonde to open his eyes up, surprised that someone managed to get into his house.

"Hinata," he asked his voice a little hoarse from the lack of food and liquid.

Hinata felt her heartbeat return now that she was certain that Naruto's hadn't stopped. She took a few steps back and sighed as she found a seat on the dresser across from the blonde's bed.

"_He's alright,"_ she thought and noticed the broken picture frame on the floor.

Hinata wasn't sure what it was, but when she knelt down it was clearly the photo of team seven. It broke her heart and offered insight as she figured his home wasn't raided, he wrecked the place in a blind rage. The sight of him really did pull at her heart and as her clone finally entered into the door way she made a gesture for it to take the food to the kitchen.

"Good afternoon, Naruto-kun," she replied

He didn't respond and rolled over not wanting to spend anymore energy.

"I brought some ramen in case you were hungry," Hinata offered and hoped he'd take it.

Naruto honestly hadn't wanted to eat, but when the sweet salty scent of a beef, miso, and pork flavored ramen sifted through the house and reached his nostrils his stomach gurgled in want.

Hinata blushed at how loud the noise was, since her stomach was just at loud and she had a special condition. Naruto held his stomach and still refused to move, which concerned his female companion as to why he would ignore his own hunger.

"I'll be right back," she said and left out to where her clone was setting the table.

Hinata felt her face drop at the mess her clone made. The water clone had left a giant puddle of water where she stood and all the things she touched got soak a little as well. She rubbed her head and saw she really needed to practice her technique to prevent more issues like this. She searched throughout the kitchen and thankfully found a mop so the clone could clean up while they ate.

Naruto heard Hinata's footsteps walk away and there seemed to be someone else with her, but he couldn't exactly tell who based on all the steps he heard/felt. He turned his head when the scent of ramen grew stronger and in walked Hinata with a bowl in hand. She balanced it perfectly in one hand while she pulled a damaged kitchen chair over into his bedroom.

She set the seat near the head of the bed and was glad that there had been enough space for her to fit in. The blonde closed his eyes, but reluctantly rolled onto his back as if to try and stare at the ceiling with his eyes shut. Hinata moved the bowl close to his head and waited to see how long until he broke for his favorite food. It didn't seem as enticing to him, but each breath began to slowly wear away at his nerve that told him to remain still.

It wasn't much a difference for her to simply sit there and watch him, but she noted that he couldn't sleep with the salty aroma surrounding him. She took a deep breath to control the shakes in her hands. It was a forward thing for her to do, but she needed to try for Naruto's sake.

Hinata set the bowl in her lap ignoring the radiant heat that threatened her legs and separated the chopsticks. Naruto opened his left eye and noted how she began to mix around the noodles in the broth and pulled out clusters of twisted udon noodles saturated in broth. She gave it a small shake and blew with her mouth to cool it off.

"Naruto-kun, do you want some," she asked and wasn't relieved to see him just grunt and keep his eyes shut.

She didn't feel that hungry, but she wondered if maybe she could see if he'd want it more if she had it. The chopsticks brought the meal to her mouth and she tried not to slurp it up to remain proper. Naruto opened a blue eye and looked almost surprised that she ate the ramen and had a smile on as she savored the flavors with unhurried bites.

His stomach growled again, but he didn't want to get up or ask to be fed. He saw her obtain another bunch of noodles and offered it to him again. He took a minute and gave in momentarily as he opened his mouth in want, but he didn't expect the wad of ramen that landed in his mouth.

Hinata had decided to feed him, but accidentally lost her grip on the shaped dough and dropped the ball into his mouth. She eeped for a second as Naruto looked like he turned blue, but a moment later he began to chew and swallowed shortly after. He had learned early on in his many occurrences of stuffing his face to avoid suffocation via food.

He peeked again and noticed that Hinata hadn't left, but also didn't want to chance fate again. The energy he had wasn't much, but he slowly rose into a sitting position. He reached out with his left hand and was glad she complied and placed the bowl into his outstretched hand.

"Ikadakimasu," Hinata said as Naruto took the chop sticks given to him and slowly ate.

* * *

It felt spent, but that was expected given it was supposed to keep pace with a human traveling at a walking pace. Summoned creatures were similar to normal animals in that they got tired and could be killed if taken by surprise, but frequently they decided to return to their summon location before a death blow.

The eight legged creature scurried up the last of the wooden steps and took a break, since it couldn't carry itself up another set of stairs. The arachnid inhaled and exhaled still on the scent it recognized from the webs that the pair pulled off their master. The beast continued searching until it smelt a stronger scent.

The odor came from behind a door and it felt drawn to it as it wedged itself underneath the entryway and warped the fluid in its' body until it came out the other side. It shook for a moment to re-balance itself and abruptly scaled one of the walls until it reached a corner where it could rest and observe.

It readied itself by focusing chakra into its' poison glands and began to generate a deadly cocktail of enzymes when the impact of footsteps made it point its' body in the direction of the kitchen.

* * *

*Anbu Headquarters*

He hadn't gotten too many hours of rest and frankly it had already begun to show in places other than his eyes. The Hyuuga were renowned for hiding their emotions, but lack of sleep seemed to affect even them based on the bags underneath the male's eyes. Neji had been at Anbu Headquarters for about eight hours and every command called to him began to seem like a distance echo.

His stance was wobbly and even his Byakugan had began to fail as his sleep deprivation siphoned off what little stamina he had left to convert into chakra.

"_I'll need to take another soldier pill,"_ he thought as the world began to spin and he found himself being held up by someone else.

"Neji," TenTen questioned as she looked him in the eye and noticed the dark bags.

"Soldier pill," he ordered, but soon got more than he bargained for.

"No," she retorted and for the first time the male appeared stunned.

Neji wanted to try and explain his reason to continue, but her finger pointed at his chest and he realized his physical state. The white gi he usually wore was covered in soot from the work he had done, but what was off was that he had sweat to the point the garment was transparent saturated from the neck down to his stomach.

"Neji, get some rest," she instructed concerned the male wasn't taking care of himself.

TenTen did worry about her entire squad when they were injured, since she was certain she visited Lee nearly as much as Gai when he was injured by Gaara. However, it was somewhat out of selfishness that she didn't want Neji to become ill. There had been a single time she had to be on a mission with just Lee and Gai, which nearly made her want to murder both of them in their sleep with the whole "Spring Time of Youth" over a three day period, non-stop.

"I'm fine," he stated and attempted another gentle fist strike, but the rock appeared unphased by his attempt.

"Go get some rest," she ordered this time angered by his pride.

Neji didn't know what came over him. It was possible that his lack of sleep affected his brain's ability to think, or that he was just pissed that he couldn't get his way. Though, the next thing he said was considered one of the worst things to say to any Kunoichi or any female in fact.

"Make me," he said and wasn't prepared for the consequences.

* * *

*Hyuuga Compound*

Hiashi Hyuuga felt winded for once in several years, but that was natural given the amount of pressure he was under and the lack of exercise his position allowed him. He wondered if his family was fortunate enough to find sleep while he had to work through the night and now into the afternoon. The night had involved dozens of visits to all of the elder clan members and none of them were too appreciative of the hour of visit.

Thus far his total tally hadn't been as unanimous as he expected. There were twenty four members of the elder council and he was the 25th vote as the current clan head. The total of nineteen votes he received was split even in regards to his future plans, which meant the next five votes would determine a yes or no on blood limit cross breeding.

He was an intelligent man and knew that it was the best decision for the clan to at least try and change for the better. However, the stubbornness of the last five members would shut down his plan without question. Therefore, he needed to have physical proof that there was irrefutable evidence of a successful outcome.

The vote tally he left in his office drawer and decided to venture out into the village. Hiashi was somewhat of a hermit as many thought around the village, since he only ever ventured out of the compound when he required something for the elders.

It was late for him to leave the compound; but, given the distance he planned to travel, he wouldn't need that long. He took the shortest route to the front gate and before he was able to leave felt his eyebrow just slightly rise at the sight before him.

The compound gates creaked open and there stood a brown haired female in a long sleeve white shirt with a pink and red decorated zip up vest top with a Hyuuga attached by his ear.

Neji hadn't expected this kind of response to his mocking, yet he regretted it with every ounce of his being. TenTen had after his response grabbed him by the ear and paraded him from Anbu Headquarters to the Hyuuga compound. It had become quite a spectacle and that was what really weighed heavily on his nerves.

Neji could only grit his teeth and endure the laughs of children, villagers, and ninja. The only thing that added insult to injury was the inability to escape. His stamina was so low he couldn't create enough chakra to perform an adequate strike to the chakra coil in her arm. He had tried about a minute into their trip, but he couldn't fully shut the coil and that just made her hold his ear with three fingers instead of two.

TenTen had thought of many reasons why her Hyuuga teammate would get smart with her, but she was still aggravated by his blatant perversion with that flyer he left behind when she last got there to help him train.

The situation they were in wasn't how she expected to let her anger out, yet it did feel pretty good to have the upper hand on him. Although, she worried that this sort of thing excited him.

Nonetheless, it was for the greater good and she didn't so much as skip a beat as she noticed Hiashi at the front gate.

"Good afternoon, Hiashi-sama," she said with a bow that also made her attached friend do the same.

"Good afternoon," he replied and watched her drag his nephew past him and toward his room.

Hiashi thought of a number of reasons why his nephew was being yanked around by his ear like a child, yet there did seem to be some positive aspect of it. Neji was rather headstrong and rarely allowed others to assist him, which was one of the things he wished he had learned from being part of his team.

Even with the completion of the Chunin exam and his softening toward the main house. He still attempted to carry his burdens alone and that would make him weak and based on his physical appearance neglect his own basic needs.

"Neji," he said and waited for the female to allow him a moment to speak.

"I approve," Hiashi said and continued out the front gates.

Neji felt his face redden at the comment, and the grip on his ear tightened. TenTen felt a tiny spark of excitement at the approval, but still needed to put her teammate into his bed.

* * *

*Konoha Hospital*

He looked like he was moping and that wasn't too far from how he felt given the mandatory vacation that he was now on. Four months with pay seemed like the cruelest form of punishment known to man or beast; but when he thought about that, there were worse tortures in a ninja village.

"Least I don't have to teach at the academy," he laughed as another wave of cold water was poured over his head.

Taro spit out some water he got in his mouth and adjusted the plastic bathing cap and bag on his leg to make sure the cast wouldn't get soaked. He knew what peroxide could do to hair and the mental image of him with orange hair would never happen.

The hospital plastic bathtub provided enough room for him to lean back, yet it also made him feel like a helpless child. The only up side to the situation was that he just got to relax and appreciate the bath service, even though he was sure that he didn't need his head rinsed so often.

Shizune had informed Taro of the need to cleanse the scent off his body, though she didn't wish to be the one to assist him. Tsunade-sama wasn't dealing with her guilt very well, but she hated the fact she always seemed to get the short end of the stick. However, that probably wouldn't have happened if she had just forgotten to inform Tsunade of the hospital staff refusing to clean a gross Taro up after he insulted her.

"_See to it then,"_ she said and it filled her eyes with shock.

"_Tsunade-sama, I don't want to bathe Masahiro," _she screamed back worried that if she continued to treat men in such a way word would circulate and she'd never get married.

"_He won't be naked so you can still get married," _resounded in Shizune's mind as she scrubbed and thanked Kami that Taro was in a pair of swim trunks.

She hadn't received any argument from him, which was refreshing given that there was always one man each day who wanted an "intimate" sponge bath. Taro didn't seem happy in regards to his vacation time, but then again some people were addicted to their work, or at least in his case making trouble.

The sound of the nearby door opening revealed the Hokage herself and she didn't seem too glad to see Masahiro.

"Yes," Taro asked half heartedly as he used a nearby towel to cover up his chest.

Tsunade didn't care, though there was another wound that needed to be stitched up.

"Kurenai," she said and in walked in a brown haired female in her white wrap outfit. Although, to the trained eye it was quite simple to see that her belly was showing.

"Why are you here," Taro questioned and his eyes just grew wider as Hiashi showed his face as well.

"There are some questions that need to be answered about Hinata," Tsunade began, but it was Hiashi who felt like his ears were burning at the mention of his daughter.

* * *

Neither of them had kept track of the time they had spent together, but that was probably due to the fact the alarm clock was broken, because it had been thrown into the wall. Naruto slurped audibly at the last drop of broth, but despite his down mood relished in the nourishment he so desperately needed.

Joy was the feeling she got from watching him fill his stomach, but she knew that the supply she brought wasn't nearly enough to fill him.

"Thank you," Naruto grumbled as he handed her the empty bowl with an ill timed burp.

"You're welcome," Hinata stuttered a bit as she smiled and moved the container into the order box.

She stood to allow her blood to circulate into her numbed rear region. Naruto definitely needed a new chair for his room, or at least some soft pillows. There didn't seem to be much that would allow her to cheer him up, but she was going to try.

"Was it worth the distance traveled," she asked glad that the mission was done and behind them.

Naruto lay back and grumbled out what she thought was an affirmation and she took it as such.

"Teuchi and Ayame were quite thankful for the rapid delivery," she said and in a motherly act wiped his mouth with a napkin.

It felt odd to be used for house work, but then again it couldn't complain as it was just a clone of its' master. Though, it found there to be some complications with being a water clone and cleaning. The chakra flowing through its' body wasn't properly fortified and that meant she was leaking everywhere.

It had left foot prints everywhere, but that thankfully worked to an advantage as it needed to mop. That wasn't a good idea with an improperly trained jutsu, since as the clone moved a hand under the faucet it began to bulge and warp. A quick series of shakes scattered water drops to the floor and made it sweat drop.

She felt like she was literally coming apart, but hopefully her master would practice and make her an adequate clone. Especially with her appearing soaked to the bone she wasn't about to fool anyone unless it was raining profusely.

It could hear conversation from the bedroom and did hope that things were going well with Naruto. It didn't know if he was depressed or not, since knowledge didn't get shared unless a clone was destroyed or the person who performed the jutsu was aware of certain information prior to forming a clone.

It felt like it was doing a good job as it had finished cleaning up the kitchen and took stock of all the things that needed to be replaced. It took its' cleaning out into the living room with plans to hopefully clean up the entire house. It stepped closer to the front door with a thud against its' body made it notice the brown spider that leaped from its' hiding spot and sunk a pair of poison tipped fangs into its' neck. The clone didn't panic, as it lost shape and burst into a sudsy puddle that began to drown the arachnid that was trapped in it.

Hinata rose from her seat and had a look of concern as she received the memories of the clone. It was hard to get used to, since it felt like a sudden influx of knowledge and it gave her a minor headache. It seemed blurred in the images she received, which made her wonder if that was because the jutsu wasn't properly performed.

"The same spider," she whispered and it made Naruto's eyes widen at that comment.

They had both hoped they had seen the last of the arachnids, but if one followed them back home there was bound to be worse problems.

Hinata looked out the bedroom door and noticed a small palm size brown spider with red eyes struggle inside of a soap bubble.

"_I need to capture it,"_ she thought, but noticed her lack of adequate containers she could use.

The feel of a presence beside her made her aware that Naruto was out of bed and seemed prepared to help. It was probably not the best, since he was certainly still hungry. On the other hand, she would need all the help she could get if the spider's bite was as poisonous as Hensa's.

"Do you have a glass container," she whispered unsure if the animal could understand either of them.

"Your food pill container is in my bag."

"How?"

"It fell out of your sling when we were at Tsunami's," Naruto explained as he didn't want to get bit again.

"I'll try and stop it for a second, get the container and grab it," Hinata said and began the jutsu for water sphere.

The spider hissed as it finally popped the bubble and shook off the water on it. It searched for the scent it recognized, but it began to lift up as all the water from the floor collected into an orb with the arachnid kept in the center.

Hinata hadn't used the technique on such a large amount of water. The orb was roughly the size of a soccer ball and she had only made one about the size of a baseball. The thing seemed sturdy, but she needed to remain still and focus. Naruto ran across the room and opened his bag to find the empty plastic container, but it didn't' seem to be inside.

He dug deeper into the bag and finally found the container, but he panicked when the orb suddenly burst. Hinata hadn't taken into account that the orb had soap in it, which changed the composition, and chakra required to maintain it. Hinata gulped as the spider hit the floor and the next second charged her. It moved quite rapidly for a three inch creature, but she knew it'd be easy to escape.

She took a step back toward the room, but slipped on some of the soap that rushed across the floor. The world seemed to slow as she was about to hit the ground and the beast jumped higher than she thought it capable. Its' black fangs seemed to shine in the light that made it into the room as they were about to sink into her face.

Hinata turned her head to the right in a vain attempt to escape, but her thoughts of possible death changed as a familiar blonde had jumped at her too and locked the creature into the plastic container.

The impact with the floor made the world return to normal, but Hinata sweat dropped as she opened her eyes and saw the arachnid thankfully behind a layer of hard plastic.

"Phew, that was close," Naruto commented, but came to realize he had landed on Hinata.

He locked the lid shut, but noticed he had landed himself into a pair of soft breasts. Pale eyes locked with azure ones when they realized the position they were in was quite intimate. Hinata's face flashed crimson and steam seemed to burst out of her ears as she raised a finger to the bottom of the container and delivered a debilitating burst of chakra that shut down the spider's chakra system.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun," she stuttered right before she fainted.

Naruto sweat dropped as he stifled a nose bleed and put the hazard safely on the floor and rolled himself off the female.

"Today should've been cancelled," he grunted and knew they'd need to see Tsunade when Hinata awoke.


	15. Held for Observation

A/N Greetings again my many readers. I wanted to take the time to thank you all for the numerous hits and for the reviews. I would like to address a comment I received from a previous review. I know the chapters seem to be going slowly and the relationship between Naruto and Hinata hasn't blossomed as of yet. However, I plan to make it all worth while in the next couple of chapters so I beg you to be patient. Please keep the reviews coming and enjoy the chapter. (I got another chapter narrowly finished so it shouldn't take nearly as long for the next update.)

* * *

He decided to marinate in the inflatable bath tub, but his location had changed to the Hokage's office. There was truly no need for the move that took place, but as soon as Hiashi heard pregnancy and Hinata's name in the same sentence he demanded that they transfer to a more "secure" area to discuss the matter in detail.

Taro welcomed the idea as it got rid of all the annoyances and would allow him to wash off his chemical attractant.

"Shizune, bring him one way or another," Tsunade ordered and left the room.

She felt her face sink, she had started the process only moments ago and would need another ten to twenty minutes to finish.

"_Could've just used a silencing seal, but no, not secure enough," _Taro thought as he made certain to scrub all his hard to reach spots.

Not more than five minutes later did Izumo and Kotetsu enter to transport him. They had agreed to not interrupt the process and took him while he continued to bathe. It was quite a sight to see him carried around like some regal figurehead, but it was a short lived shine of fame as he continued the cleansing ritual despite the collected stares of the village populace.

He wasn't in any mood to deal with the Hyuuga, though nothing seemed to excite him as he soon had to enjoy his enforced "vacation." His eyebrow began to twitch as he blocked out the white noise of their three voices, but couldn't alleviate the heat he felt from the clan leader's stare.

"Stop starring, you pervert," he shouted to the Hyuuga leader who didn't seem to relent in his attempt to try and release some hidden power of his Byakugan and melt Taro's face.

"Masahiro," Tsunade warned, since she really didn't have any patience left for the male.

Where had the senses of most of the individuals of the room gone? A single day of peace and quiet was the only thing that she wanted anymore and it seemed near impossible for her to find.

"Kurenai, you honestly believe that there is a chance Hinata may be pregnant," Tsunade stated and had to clear her throat at the all but invisible twitch of the Hyuuga leader's left eye.

"What information do you have that supports this," Hiashi asked seeming indifferent to the truth of the matter.

Taro was just glad the man had his attention on someone else, though he needed to dry and wondered if the stare would've helped with that.

"Hinata's appetite has increased substantially, I caught her examining her abdomen and not over a week ago did I see her in some of Naruto's clothes," Kurenai stated.

"Masahiro, would you explain," Hiashi asked, but it did come off as more of a demand.

Taro just ignored the man as he wrapped the white towel about his head and shook it violently to get all the possible moisture off. The silence in regards to the question didn't ease the concerns of the room's occupants.

Hiashi hadn't expected such an act to occur, especially not from his eldest daughter. It sickened him to think his daughter could have some child of unknown origin within her. He wasn't sure what to do as the clan leader, but as a father he was certain that murder of the perpetrator was the only available option.

"Uzumaki is the predicted father," Hiashi asked, since he wasn't certain how to approach the situation if the Kyuubi container was the parent.

Tsunade had just rubbed her forehead during the entire conversation and wasn't about to take a position. If Hinata turned out to be pregnant Hiashi would want Naruto executed. If she wasn't, Hiashi would most certainly become extra protective or at least do whatever was in his power to scare the blonde off.

"_One day of rest, is that too much to ask for,"_ she prayed and to her shock Taro broke through the silence.

"She isn't pregnant."

"How can you be certain of this?"

"She hasn't shown any signs of that condition, and my eye didn't detect any parasites."

"You consider a baby a parasite?"

"A creature implanted in your body that feeds off nutrients in your blood, making it harder to function as it grows until it needs to be excised, which results in irreparable damage," Taro stated.

Tsunade had to roll her eyes as she realized this was more than likely the reason there was that riot at the hospital. Taro's outlook on children was far worse than she could've guessed.

"You're just as heartless as I heard about."

"Maybe, but the real problem is you projecting your condition on Hinata," Taro silenced her and got a few wide eyed looks from the other room occupants.

Kurenai felt a wash of cold sweat coat the back of her neck and make her mouth go dry. She had thought she had kept her condition a close secret. The only people who knew were her and Asuma, but that apparently wasn't the case as Taro figured it out.

"How?"

Taro cleared his throat and pointed at his left eye as he wrapped the towel around his waist and waited for assistance to leave the tub.

Tsunade wasn't certain what was going on, but she wondered if this was actually a projection of Kurenai's condition on her student. Though, why she herself wasn't on inactive duty made her curious as what reason she could have.

"Kurenai, do you want to tell me about something," Tsunade asked and hoped that Hiashi wouldn't interrupt.

* * *

Izumo felt annoyed by the quantity of abuse they had suffered. He and Kotetsu had gone to the hospital to transport papers, take reports of civilians, and even carried someone to the Kage tower while he was in an inflatable tub. The amount of respect he and his comrade got had finally started to grate on his final nerve.

Although, the feeling didn't appear mutual as Kotetsu stood next to him on the other side of the double door and dunked his finger into a brown ceramic jar that was full of syrup. He sucked a glob of the sweet concoction into his mouth and shivered from the sugar overload.

"_Always happy so long as he has something sweet,"_ he thought as he leaned back and exasperated a yawn.

He wondered if he could take a personal day if he "caught" a contagious hay fever.

The idea fell flat as the sounds of light footsteps approached and brought his attention upward. He noticed a familiar blond male clad in orange with a dark haired female with pale eyes holding something covered in a white t-shirt.

"I need to see the Hokage," Hinata said and waited patiently for the door to be opened.

"Tsunade-sama is meeting with someone," Izumo explained and wondered why she held the item at arm length.

"It is urgent," Hinata urged the male, knowing of the danger her and Naruto were in if the spider followed them.

"Without authorization..."

Naruto rolled his eyes and pulled back the shirt revealing the brown spider with dark red eyes within the plastic container. Izumo looked closely and retracted his head when the creature jumped up against the transparent wall with enough force to make an audible thud.

He didn't care to talk any longer as he knocked on the door several times until Shizune arrived.

"You were ordered to not disturb…," Shizune began, but Hinata held the creature before her and got a similar response from the dark haired female as the monster tired to attack again.

Shizune was surprised to see the spider in the container, but she felt even more shocked to see Naruto out and about given the trauma he suffered. She hadn't been present when the information was delivered, but just from how irritable Tsunade was she could guess it hadn't gone well.

"One moment," she assured and went back inside.

Naruto took a seat on the nearby bench, since he didn't have any interest to see Tsunade currently. Therefore, he just put his trust in Hinata to explain the issue.

Shizune returned and allowed Hinata in. She reapplied the white veil and carried the item up toward the Kage's desk. Though, she did wonder exactly what her sensei, father, and doctor were all doing in the same room. Their collected stares solely on her made it feel like she had done something wrong, but surely they all had more important things to discuss than her.

Tsunade cleared her throat and hadn't been told much by Shizune other than Naruto and Hinata had an urgent matter to discuss. Her heart did sink in that Naruto wasn't anywhere to be found as the female entered, though it was naïve to believe he'd forgive her so swiftly. The other thing that grated on her nerves was that Hiashi seemed to glare at his daughter.

"_Could you make it more obvious what we were discussing,"_ she wondered.

"Tsunade-sama, I believe that N-Uzumaki and I are in danger," Hinata began nervous under the stare of her father to maintain her clan's archetype.

"What kind of danger could there be within the village," Tsunade responded a bit curious to what could be so urgent.

Hinata removed the cloth from the container and once again the arachnid attempted to attack through the plastic. Tsunade wasn't intimidated by the look of the creature, however it was obvious that it wasn't native to Konoha.

Taro's reaction was extreme by comparison as he retreated in his wheel chair, but failed to retreat as Shizune stood behind him. Her eyebrow lowered at his cowardice, though she wondered if he had simple arachnophobia or some deeper damage.

"Masahiro," Tsunade asked as she looked at the animal closer.

"I've seen that spider before," Taro said his only visible eye appearing deathly serious.

"Where?"

"The last ninja war, small spiders with brown bodies and blood red eyes."

"This one I different, its' eyes are yellow," Kurenai cut in as the creature appeared less feral and merely rotated to view them.

Tsunade covered the creature back up, since she recalled a time when Orochimaru boasted that he could look through the eyes of his summons. The only thing that changed when it was done was the animals eyes, which meant whoever was after the two had just viewed all of them.

"Why are these after you," Tsunade asked, genuinely worried for Naruto and Hinata.

Hinata looked down a bit worried to explain the mission debrief, since she had hoped Naruto had done so when he left with Sakura. However, now she had to say what had occurred and it was embarrassing enough without her father in the room.

"Our mission to procure an order for Ichiraku was successful, but along the route we came across a trade caravan that had been attacked, there were no survivors. A nearby scream alerted us and we went to provide aid, but it was a trap set by Hensa Ichizoku. She attacked and Naruto-," Hinata stopped and refined her etiquette to meet her clan standard.

"Uzumaki was injured by a bite infused with venom that caused him to collapse. We escaped and I provided medical attention until he recovered. We sneaked into wave country and negotiated travel back to the village with a landlord," she stated.

Tsunade thought for a minute, not sure what to make of it. She hadn't heard of the clan name before, but she hoped Taro wasn't lying about knowing something. Although, it was news to her that Naruto was the one who needed to be saved. However, with how impulsive he could be that wasn't necessarily a surprise.

"Landlord, fat man with an appetite for peanuts," Taro asked, but the poke he got in the back of his neck from Shizune hinted him to get back on topic.

"The Ichizoku clan was a key provider of ninja to the hidden lock village until they deserted and became a mercenary ninja group for hire. Iwa found their skills desirable during the last war, since the clan's expertise was in infiltration and trap making," Taro said and noted the stares about the room.

"Shizune, send a request to the Aburame. I'll need a group of three jounin and also two Hyuuga for the capture of this spider-nin," Tsunade began determined to protect Naruto, but she knew that it was also due to her present guilt.

"That is a horrible idea."

"Masahiro, did I ask for your opinion?"

"No, you asked for facts. One: The absolute worst time to attack a trap maker is when they're hunkered down; Two: if she has been outside of the walls for a day, there are at least seven deadly traps set out. And Finally Three: She'll have at minimum five to ten different escape routes planned, which would result in her loss or that of the assault team."

"Was there another option in that statement?"

"Easiest time to catch a spider is when it leaves the web, kill the tiny spiders and she'll come in eventually."

"Fine, inform the Aburame that they will be on spider elimination and need to determine with what to kill them," Tsunade responded and handed over the container to Shizune.

Hinata gave a sigh of relief glad to have the creature removed from her, but the relief was short lived as Taro continued.

"What about the safety of Uzumaki and Hyuuga, if they are the only targets," Taro said and noted the blink that appeared to pull Hiashi out of his fevered thoughts.

Hiashi hadn't decided on whether or not he believed the comment that his daughter was pregnant. However, he wasn't about to stand up and question her before the Hokage. That could wait until they returned to the compound and he could ask his inquiries in the privacy of his office.

"Hinata will remain within the Hyuuga compound, since it is the most fortified clan household," he stated and figured she'd be safe with several branch house guards.

"What about Naruto," Tsunade asked concerned that Hiashi had developed selective hearing.

"Uzumaki will absolutely not be staying at the Hyuuga main house."

"Why not, It doesn't make any sense to separate them if this 'Hensa' is after the pair," Kurenai interjected thinking that if she was wrong about Hinata the least she could do would be to put her and Naruto together. Though, she did think that she'd need to apologize to Naruto after her "brash" actions.

"A female of Hinata's age shouldn't be associated with a male of such low rank, not to mention the damage it could do to her chances with potential suitors," he replied with the situation clearly calculated and unaffected by his daughter still standing in the room.

"Yes, that is so much more important than their safety," Taro nagged still not really surprised by the lengths the Hyuuga would go to preserve their image.

"I will not be spoken to in such a manner by someone of your derivation Masahiro," Hiashi stated with a bit of bitterness.

"Given the Hyuuga clan penchant for inbreeding, I'll take that as a compliment," he shot back.

"Given the Masahiro clan's weak name anything will sound like a compliment," Hiashi spat with a smug expression on his face.

"You might want to switch to boots given your toe webbing is showing," Taro said and returned the expression

"Crossbred trash."

"Cousin Fucker!"

Tsunade had to sit back for a moment and see how the two seemed to stab back and forth at the other. That and she didn't know that Taro had tempered his craft of annoyance so well he could get under Hiashi's skin. However, their bickering wasn't solving anything. Though, she did secretly find it humorous to watch them snap at the each other.

"Enough," she shouted and caused the pair to cease their squabble. Though, she had to roll her eyes as Taro gave Hiashi the finger.

"Both Naruto and Hinata will be staying in separate rooms at the Kage mansion," Tsunade stated and prayed the Hyuuga leader would accept those terms.

Hiashi let the notion set in, and while it did pull on his nerves that he wouldn't get to question his daughter. The fact they'd be separated for the time being did ease his fury.

"What will be done for security? I'm rather certain that the Anbu squad on the premise is responsible with protecting the Hokage," he intoned, concerned that her home wasn't as secure as many believed.

"Protective measures will be taken, and each will be guarded, if I am unable to defend them myself," she stated irritated that he had such little faith in her.

Although, she did wonder if the male had faith in anyone other than himself.

"I'd like to take my leave then," Taro said and to his great displeasure Shizune dropped the veiled container into his lap to be certain they would not forget it.

"Shizune, take Masahiro with you to the Aburame clan and inform Naruto of the situation."

"I can tell Naru…Uzumaki," Hinata said much to the surprise of Tsunade.

"Alright, arrive at the mansion within the hour."

* * *

*Hyuuga Compound*

Hinata wasn't certain why he had come along with them, but it wasn't as bad with Naruto there at her side. After the commotion she had caused, she wondered if her father would scold her for what happened on their mission. Although, she was far more concerned about what exactly they were discussing prior to her intrusion.

Her mind focused as they approached the guards at the front gate, since they gave her companion a questionable glare as they met Hiashi's gaze. The man had to decide carefully what his next move would be. Naruto didn't have any stature within the village or anywhere for that matter. However, he couldn't just leave him outside with the Kage's orders being that he needed to be protected also.

"These two have a mission for the Hokage," he partly lied, due to the concern of what others would think if he actually allowed Uzumaki to enter in the compound.

Hinata knew that she could've "asked" a branch member to bring over supplies for her stay. However, she wasn't about to do that and add to their suffering. That and she felt it would've been a great opportunity to speak with Naruto on the walk. Though, with her father in tow that idea had been assassinated expediently. The only thing she could do was contemplate during the ten minute walk. What would Naruto do about his clothes?

Naruto's home was no longer safe, which meant that he'd need to go to a clothing store and stock up for an indefinite stay. She at least hoped that her home was secure enough.

The guards looked at each other and opened the gate to provide entry. They normally wouldn't have caused any problem, but the Kyuubi container was the only reason that either of them gave pause. Specific orders were given by the clan elders to inform them should he want to enter, yet they couldn't exactly stop either of them when the clan head was there. That and they worried any defiance would result in the activation of the seals on their foreheads.

One of them nodded to the other as he suddenly vanished with a swirl of leaves. All of this wasn't noticed by Naruto as he marveled at the size of the compound. Naruto had seen some castles and palaces while with Jiraiya, but he never got to see the perks of being born into a clan within Konoha. He saw several buildings and couldn't place what every single one was for, though he did figure it'd be better to stay close to Hinata as every person they met glared at him.

"_Not exactly a friendly place,"_ he thought as they ventured further in and past dozens of branch and main house Hyuuga.

Naruto honestly wondered how there could be so many people running around at a single time, which was only rivaled by the sheer number of turns and hallways they went through.

He decided to stay within close proximity to Hinata, since it seemed unlikely he could find his way out without her. That and no matter how many people they ran into no one appeared happy to see either of them. Though, he wondered why several of the branch house members they passed offered phony smiles and bows to a main house member.

Naruto had plenty of experience with seeing fake smiles as he grew up. It was a hard learned lesson when he frequently had adults give him food with the same smiles only to have him figure out later that it was poisoned. He had hated the Kyubbi for all the pain it caused him, but it had thankfully protected him from the numerous toxins people had used on him.

Hiashi came to a junction that required him to walk the other way and he gave a formal bow to Hinata and left without a word. It made a chill run through her bones as silence from Hiashi could be worse than any words. She gulped and continued on toward her room.

Hinata stopped as she turned a corner and blushed when Naruto bumped into her. It made her want to laugh at little, yet she did still get nervous whenever they had physical contact.

"What is it," Naruto asked confused by the sudden halt, but determined where she was staring and saw an auburn haired female with her hair up in two balls sitting in front of a door on guard.

They both shared a questionable stare, but Hinata honestly wondered why TenTen was outside of Neji's room. She took a moment to think about the situation, but nothing seemed to add up. She walked down the hallway interested in what could be taking place.

"Hello, TenTen," Hinata said and stopped in front of her.

"Hell…o" TenTen yawned due to a lack of energy.

She had done her best to help along with the clean up at Anbu Headquarters, but even eight hours of sleep felt miniscule with all the excavating they did. Though, she honestly felt more relaxed just sitting around and keeping watch over Neji. After she brought him back to his room, she couldn't trust him to rest; which was the reason for her sitting outside.

She had taken a quick inspection of the male's room and noted that there weren't any windows, which allowed for her to sit outside the door and know he couldn't escape. That and it wouldn't seem right to stay inside his room and watch him rest, since it would probably disturb him to be under her gaze.

"_Does Hiashi think we're a good match,"_ she pondered for a brief moment as the illusion of a relationship with Neji made her feel heat spread through her cheeks.

"Why are you here," she questioned out of concern that something had happened to Neji.

"He's resting, and didn't want to be disturbed," she lied with a convincing smile.

Hinata gave a sigh of relief glad to hear that he was alright. Neji may have been acting a bit cold toward her, but that didn't mean that she felt the same. She noticed a questionable glance from the auburn haired female at her companion.

"We're here to gather supplies for our mission," she affirmed and Naruto nodded his head as well.

TenTen decided to accept that answer, but inside she wasn't so much curious as she was surprised. Hinata normally couldn't be within three feet of Naruto without fainting, but the way she interacted with him now showed a vast improvement.

"Good luck…with that," she replied hinting to something other than their mission.

"Bye," Hinata replied

It took a few more minutes before they arrived at a sliding door that led to her room. She seemed to freeze up as she looked behind her. And Naruto, while still looking gloomy, didn't seem to catch on to what this could mean. She wasn't emotionally prepared to show him her room. They weren't even dating, and if they were she wouldn't have been ready.

"Naruto-kun, could you wait out here," she partly stuttered not knowing if he'd be offended.

"Huh," Naruto seemed confused as to why she wanted him to stay outside.

He didn't really grasp others people's emotions while in his current state, but Hinata always had good reason when she asked him to do something. That and as he went through all the reasons she would ask him to stay out he realized that she probably didn't want him to see her intimate wear.

Hinata appeared to sweat as she tried to think up how to explain it, but the light suddenly seemed to go on in Naruto's head and he nodded as he sat down against the wall.

"Thank you," she said and activated her Byakugan to scan her room for anything out of the ordinary. There weren't any spiders or traps that she could see and that gave her enough well being to enter.

She grabbed her pack that had been cleaned and hung up in her closet by the branch family maids. She began to pack her essentials, which included the instructions on how to make her food pills.

"Your father doesn't talk much does he," Naruto asked through the door, which made Hinata jump as she wasn't expecting him to talk with her.

"My fath- Hiashi-sama is an important part of our clan, so he must think more than he speaks," she responded happy that he had decided to talk to her, though the conversation about her father wasn't what she wanted to speak about.

"Does he ever take the time to talk," Naruto questioned, since he figured the man was mute given that he'd never heard him speak personally.

"When he meets with the Hokage, clan elders, or important officials," she clarified as she put a spare jacket into her bag and began to pack her intimates.

Naruto blinked a series of times confused as to why she didn't include any family on that list.

"He doesn't talk to you?"

"No, I mean he does…just only during meals and when there are changes to policy with other clans," she replied and halted as she realized how little she actually got to speak with her father.

Hinata took a moment to recall how things had been several years earlier when her mother and uncle were still alive. Those were the times when her father used to smile and speak to her with kinder words. However, when her mother died some part of her father seemed to die alongside her. Then, when uncle Hizashi had been sacrificed only a year later, he became even more distant.

He only focused on work and anything that kept him away for her, Hanabi, and Neji. It wasn't right that he pushed everyone away, yet each one of them reminded him of someone precious he lost. It was a logical decision to make. Though, it probably wasn't the healthiest one.

"Did he at least show up for your promotion to Chunin rank," Naruto asked a bit perplexed at how the man could be so distant.

Hinata felt her mouth go a bit dry as she recalled her graduation from the academy. Her father hadn't been there and the only person who had come was Kurenai. That and she couldn't recall the last birthday she had that was enjoyable and not focused on her coming to marriageable age, or into an argument of who in the main house would be next to lead the clan.

"No, he has an entire clan to look after, so I can't take up his time," she replied with cold practice.

Naruto didn't see how that man could be so distant from his own family. He tried his best to recall his time back at the academy and though his memory was a bit hazy with sadness he remembered a few things. He had sat alone on his swing as everyone else graduated from the academy he saw several kids there with their happy parents, but not all of their parents were there. He distinctly recalled Hinata leaving with Kurenai.

"_Makes it seem like he doesn't care_," Naruto thought and figured it'd be best to change the subject.

"Why is the branch house still so angry to see you," he asked certain that things would've relaxed with Neji's defeat years ago.

Hinata put a pair of slippers and a yukata for relaxing in the evening onto the bed, since she wanted to pack her underwear beneath it to prevent anymore incidents with their clothes.

She bit her lip and thought about all the mean stares she tried to ignore from day to day. Hiashi had seen it right to treat Neji better after the explanation of his brother's death. Though, he didn't so much as take a second look at any of the other clan members. However, it wasn't a simple matter for an entire clan to alter in such a short time.

"The branch family has served the main house for several generations, it won't be easy to change that,"

"So they are slaves to the main house?"

"They aren't slaves, Naruto-kun, they are guardians to ensure the bloodline of the main house members."

"They why do they need that seal on their forehead, isn't that meant to control them?"

"The seal is meant to prevent the Byakugan from being stolen should one of them die in battle," Hinata clarified and sat down on her bed as she realized more with each second that her explaining the situation probably didn't make her look better as a main house member.

"Then why doesn't the entire clan use that seal," he asked, but Hinata couldn't think up a reasonable answer.

It made her sad that the main house had kept the branch house enslaved for years by the use of the caged bird seal. It made no sense, because the only thing that decided if one was in the branch house or not was on how pure their blood was.

The Hyuuga clan had nearly started at the same time as Konoha village and like all the other clans they elected a single leader to make the tough decisions on their behalf. That leader hadn't been required to marry within the clan at that time, but after a few years many of the clan feared their bloodline would become impure like the Uchiha. Which was the reason why so many of them weren't born with the ability to use the Sharigan doujustu.

Therefore, the eldest members of the clan traced the family bloodline and determined who of them had the purest Hyuuga blood. That clan head was then arranged to marry a specific equally pure female (usually a cousin) and their children became main house. (those that could be clan head) The branch house is what became of other members who weren't at least half Hyuuga, which meant they wouldn't be as strong as the pure ones, therefore they were meant to serve the main house. It was a true irony that their blood that made them family also drew them apart.

"I don't know," she whispered from her seat and didn't want to talk further on the issue.

It was a difficult thing for her to admit that her clan kept the extended family as slaves. However, that wasn't likely to change given who the current clan head was and the elder clan members all being main house members.

She searched with great fervor through her intimate wear and blushed as she thought about which ones to choose.

Hinata had gotten a few different colors of bras and panties, but while doing so she often wondered if Naruto would like what he saw. She knew he liked orange, but with her pale skin she just couldn't pull off any shade of that particular color. That and her selection only included white, purple, and light blue. Not to mention, that she wasn't even sure she'd get a chance to show him, given that her affections seemed to go unnoticed. Though, with how much time they spent together as of recent, she needed to make an attempt to let him know.

"Um, Naruto-kun," she asked to check and see if he was still outside.

"Hmm," he hummed a bit bored and aggravated by all the angry glares he got where he was by passing branch and main house.

"Um…I…what color do you like more: purple, white, or blue," she stuttered the last part embarrassed that she was asking him how he'd like her to dress.

Naruto blinked a few times confused why she asked him such a random question, none the less he still took a moment to think about it.

"Bl…Purple," he grunted as the thought of blue reminded him of Sasuke.

He did feel guilty as he recalled the old blue shirt he wore with kaki shorts. It was a complex series of emotions he had to deal with, but he tried to not focus on that. He was in danger and his grief would make him an easy target for a trained ninja. On the other hand, he was worried that if he fell into too deep an emotional pit the Kyubbi could try and escape.

Hinata gulped as she closed up her pack and took a look at herself in the mirror.

"_I can do this_," she thought and opened the door to her room.

"Let's go," she affirmed with a smile.

* * *

*Hiashi's study*

He had returned to his office to obtain the folder that had the votes of the clan elders. It didn't help him to accomplish his goals when further issues seemed to spring forth from his family. Hinata's interruption had prevented his ability to request information from Masahiro, though the insult of Kurenai against his perception already didn't put him in the best of moods. The man was also now on the way to the Aburame to assist in "protection" against this unknown opponent.

The worry for his daughter's life did hang on his shoulders, but it seemed frail by comparison to the flak he would take with Uzumaki's entrance to the compound.

Normally, he would've refused with all his might at the male's entrance; however, the situation

required him to relinquish the ability to do so. While it would prevent the elder's aggression, it wouldn't help them if something happened to Uzumaki when they could've protected him. That would not only make the clan appear weak, but no doubt the entire village would hate them if the Kyubbi escaped due to its container's death.

He sighed heavily as he took a seat behind his desk and activated his Byakugan to observe the pair. The urge to watch them hadn't come from worry about his daughter, since he knew with how fragile she was it wasn't possible for her to attempt anything intimate with Uzumaki. However, the male was for lack of a better word: stupid and that put doubt into his mind.

He noted the male sitting outside of his daughter's room and did his best to read his lips as he spoke. It was difficult to do when one was out of practice, but he wasn't able to even determine the first sentence as a knock at his door caused him to deactivate his blood limit.

"Enter," he affirmed and wasn't surprised that an older Hyuuga female with graying black hair wrapped up in a bun passed into his office.

"Hiashi-sama," she greeted with a soft voice that seemed to carry a hidden power behind it.

"Chiaki-sama, how may I assist you," Hiashi answered prepared to serve one of the elder clan members in any way they saw fit.

"I was informed that Naruto Uzumaki was permitted entrance into the compound."

"Uzumaki was allowed access due to a possible assassin targeting both he and Hinata."

"I did not come here to be interrupted," her voice suddenly flared with strength like a back draft of fire.

Hiashi shut his mouth and tensed up as he sat straight.

"I was informed of his arrival and want to be certain that he be removed from the premises as soon as possible to ensure all clan secrets are kept as such," she continued and watched the clan leader squirm lightly under her gaze.

"I will see that it is accomplished," Hiashi seemed to shrink as the older women softly sighed and continued back out the way she came.

He wanted to grit his teeth at the way that she spoke to him, but while Hiashi was the leader of the clan he still held little power when compared to the elders. He rubbed his left hand through his hair and needed to relax, which was hard while trying to maintain a serious expression.

"In time," he growled to himself to affirm that things would be different eventually.

"Hiashi-sama," shouted through the door and made his back go straight like a board.

"I would like to know how you plan to accomplish the spar between your daughters when one is packing for an extended stay," she questioned with what seemed like a repressed laugh on the end.

Hiashi had to admit her skills were still sharp in that she was able to determine so much from probably only spotting Hinata packing for a minute. He didn't need a large quantity of time before he came up with an answer.

"I will inform you of the situation before the end of the day," he stated and knew he needed to now go and discuss something further with Tsunade.

"See that it is done **in time**," she replied with the only sounds of her retreat being her footsteps.

Hiashi inwardly swore, especially when Chiaki could easily influence the last five votes on his clan crossbreeding. He decided to try and maintain his rational thoughts and began to think of a way to alter how the spar could be conducted. A light seemed to go on in his head as he figured he could order one of his family to assist him.

He activated his Byakugan again, but noticed that Hinata and Uzumaki had already left the compound. The next choice he had was Neji, though the female sitting outside his room wouldn't allow him out without a fight. The man exerted a huff of air as he rose from his seat and decided Hanabi would need to suffice and she was, thankfully, in her room.

* * *

*Hokage estate*

They arrived at a large steel gate that was surrounded by a ten foot high brick wall. There were a few signs on the top that stated that trespassers ran the risk of being killed by Anbu guards. Though they didn't say that exactly, they were just yellow signs that had cartoon bodies on them riddled with kunai that stated "Anbu on watch."

Despite the signs, the outside of the estate was rather plan with the only sights being the large wall. It seemed like an out of place structure, especially when it was cramped into a corner behind the village wall. The gates creaked with life and opened inward for them to reach the house behind the protective wall.

Behind the wall was a thorny hedge that circled the entire perimeter, but the rest of the walk up was quite a sight. Despite the cramped feel of being close to a wall, the grounds were vast in size. There seemed to be a small forest adjacent to either side of the walk up, each side seemed filled with different fruit trees and shrubs.

Hinata stared in marvel of how nice the place was, since it appeared far more peaceful with all the plant life around. It was just so different from the Hyuuga compound that had taken almost all of the plant life out to allow for more space to house the growing clan population. However, it did make sense for there to be plenty of places to hide when there were Anbu with kill on sight orders.

The dirt walk up finally brought them to a two story house that had a series of large windows that were evenly spaced along the entire structure. It was entirely white and not too decorated, which made sense given Tsunade's personality.

The pair stopped at the wooden, front double doors and waited for only a second before they were greeted by Tsunade, Shizune, and Kakashi. Naruto glared at all three of the ninja before him and instantly averted his gaze, sick of seeing them already. He still felt betrayed by them for not telling him the truth. It was going to take time before he even thought about forgiving them.

Shizune noticed the downward stare and hoped that Naruto wasn't angry with her as well. Though, just by the fact he stared them all down she was likely in the same boat as Sakura and Tsunade. It wasn't fair to her when she couldn't tell him, since everything Tsunade did had to be kept quiet, in her mind at least.

Tsunade was glad to see Naruto, but she also knew that he'd probably do all he could to spite her. Although, she had to admit having Naruto depressed did make him rather quiet, which was a pleasant surprise in some morbid way.

"Follow me," Tsunade said and led them up to the second floor of the house.

Kakashi followed behind the pair, since he had volunteered to provide protection for Naruto when he heard about the attack. He had lost another one of his precious people and he wasn't about to sit idly by and let someone try and take another. Though, he started to question how difficult Naruto would make this given his anger.

Shizune didn't follow the pair, since she had to return to the grounds outside and be certain that Taro and Shibi weren't putting too many dangerous traps about.

They arrived to a pair of rooms across the hall from each other.

"These will be your rooms until this 'Hensa' is captured," Tsunade stated and noted how Hinata was the only one to nod.

"Both of you are free to use the kitchen, training grounds, and spa as you like."

"Tsunade-sama, are we allowed to leave the estate," Hinata asked, since she did want to see her teammates.

"Each of you has been assigned a guard and won't see them following you, but tell Shizune or Kakashi what you plan to do when you leave," she explained and couldn't shake the anger she felt at the fact Naruto seemed to turn a deaf ear to her.

"In addition, I would like to see each of you at meals. You must also be back on the grounds before sunset. Understood," she asked and only got more annoyed as Naruto walked to his room and closed the door behind him without a word.

"Hokage-sama," a voice dead panned from behind them as a pale eyed girl walked up.

"Hanabi," Hinata asked confused as to why her sister had come to the estate.

"Hiashi-sama wanted you to have this and expects accommodations to be made," she said and handed over a small message scroll.

Tsunade pretended to be in control of her anger as she took the item and offered a fake smile as she broke the wax seal and read the information. She wanted to groan at the man's lack of proper timing, but she conceded as she knew he'd make a big deal out of it.

"Hinata, in a week the sparring match between you and Hanabi will be held here at the Hokage estate before the clan elders," she said and couldn't help feel remorse as the blood drained from Hinata's face.

* * *

*Hokage Estate Grounds*

"For the last time, I'm telling you to tie the two ropes together with a square knot, then attach the third one using a bowline," Taro shouted from his wheel chair as an Aburame clan member tried to tie the activation cords for three separate traps together.

It had already been an hour, and if he had been able to stand and move around freely he'd be done. It was just so difficult when they no longer taught people how to tie knots in the academy. However, with the war over there wasn't really much use for traps except now.

"This trap should finish the west wall," he heard behind him as Shibi returned.

They had already warded the area with seals that were specifically triggered by spiders, yet it did nothing to ward them off. Taro was in charge of the lethal force and he was quite good at what he had set out to do.

There were traps hidden throughout the trees and along the ground. They worked from the outside in, which made the only safe route right through the front gate. Though, the odds of a ninja being stupid enough to attack the front gate was insanely low.

The snap of a twig made him roll his eyes as one of the ropes slipped out of it's joint and retracted into a nearby shrub. There was a second delay before a foot section of grass pulled away and a lethal bed of bamboo spears was revealed.

He felt an artery in his forehead throb as he would need that to be hidden again.

"Tie the damn bowline knot before you put it around the loop of the square knot," Taro shouted and noticed Shibi as he raised his arm and several of his bugs sprouted forth to cover the trap and re-tension the trigger rope.

"You haven't finished yet," said a female voice that he was getting too accustomed to.

"Well, if the Hokage had just put the two targets in an apartment we wouldn't be so far behind schedule," Taro said and noticed Shizune come up behind him a bit frustrated with his complaints.

"Why does it matter that they are staying at the Hokage's," she asked and noted how he groaned and gave her an answer.

"This property is massive and we're expected to finish in less than two hours. That and you must factor in that they don't teach how to tie knots at the academy anymore," he spat as he removed a piece of paper and marked the location of the trap.

The paper was a rough drawing of the estate, but it had several large X's and skulls with cross bones scribbled upon it.

"You placed deadly traps," Shizune asked and was curious why Taro covered it up.

"I was instructed to neutralize the threat, which would dictate lethal force," Taro clarified and made four check marks on the piece of paper.

"You will instruct the Anbu as to where you put those traps correct?"

"That's the reason for the map," he replied and made a fifth check mark.

"What are the check marks for?"

"Each time you ask me a question," Taro replied as he made another mark.

Shizune seemed a bit confused as to why he would be doing such a thing. It seemed like a waste of time and energy for him to do, but given that he couldn't set traps up himself it probably gave him relief of inadequacy.

"Why are you not married at your age," he asked and watched her show the obvious signs of discomfort as she looked down and rubbed her hands together.

Shizune didn't enjoy any conversation that dealt with her personal life, especially when she wanted to keep that private. Taro put his pen opposite of the previous mark and awaited an answer.

"Don't you know already," she replied a bit curious to see if he had information on her.

"Responding with a question doesn't count as an answer," he smirked and another trap springing made him groan.

"I'm not going to answer that."

"Fine, I'm sure the excitement of waiting here will be more than enough to entertain for the next hour."

Shizune felt her face pale as she realized that she'd need to stay outside with Taro for an hour. But, what made it worse was she couldn't help the process along. Shizune had learned primarily all the skills the academy had to teach, but the rest of her education had come from Tsunade. And although she was a Sannin, her knowledge in certain areas was lacking.

"Are we going to alternate on asking the questions," she asked, but dreaded that he would add another mark.

Taro didn't add a mark and carefully wrote her name on the corner of the paper and his on the other.

"Indeed, feel free to go first," he responded

"Why aren't you married at your age," she asked and noticed how he wasn't shocked by the question as he blinked.

"My personality. Any female willing to marry me would end up either murdering me in my sleep or poisoning me," he responded, but wasn't expecting the female to laugh at his words.

Shizune had to take a deep breath to ease the tremors she felt at the sheer honesty that Taro had. He had answered in the most honest way that he knew how. It was refreshing to come across someone with so much brutal honesty.

"Exactly when did you leave the village," he asked and she felt secure enough to answer.

* * *

*Two days later*

He opened his eyes and didn't know what else he could do given the situation that he was set in. The room was rather spacious, especially with the king size bed, desk, chair, and his own personal bathroom. Naruto stretched his arms over his head as he inspected the taupe colored ceiling and tried to find another activity to occupy his mind.

"_What can I do: train, sleep, eat…uh,"_ he thought as he tried to list all the possibilities he had left.

He had locked himself in the room and refused to leave it, especially when he just wanted to be alone. However, it did mess with his mind that he actually wanted to be alone. Although, with Tsunade and Kakashi out there he couldn't stop from thinking about them hiding the situation with Sasuke and Sakura.

The only upside was that someone had done their best to help him with how he felt. Someone had come to his door and brought him breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He wasn't sure if the kitchen staff on the premise were instructed to feed him or if Tsunade had brought it by herself. It was always the same, in that someone would come by his door and knock twice. When he didn't answer they placed the food on a table outside his room and left.

The meals tasted good and that helped to give him a tiny bit of light in his dismal day. Naruto decided to stand up and popped his back as he felt the warm air against every inch of his skin that wasn't covered by his boxers. He had known that he needed to have clean clothes to wear, but he wanted to be lazy and decided to just wander his room in his orange boxers.

He wandered to his window and enjoyed the view that he had of the sand and grass training area. The grounds seemed to call to him to come out and practice his jutsus. A part of him wondered if Tsunade had thought the view would have a positive impact on his mood. He groaned as he put his hand against the window and still felt no urge to go out.

His lungs sucked in a shot of air as he noticed his fellow prisoner walk out onto the dirt area. Hinata over the past two days had been pushing herself to train for some reason. He had heard some mumbles from the hallway once he walked into his room about sparring, but that didn't seem like a reason for her to drastically push herself.

He thought about it and her being outside meant that it was about noon. She seemed to enjoy practicing in the afternoon warmth before it started to become blazing hot. He pulled over the chair from his desk and sat down to watch her begin her routine. She began with some standard stretches to loosen up her arms and legs, but it was when she arched her back and nearly folded in half that he cringed.

Naruto recalled a time Kakashi had explained that each of them would need to be flexible to ensure they could maneuver more efficiently. They tried some rudimentary yoga, but that ended with all of them in the hospital due to pulled muscles and one dislocated leg bone for Sakura. That had been a sight for the Jounin to carry all of his students to the hospital without them even being out on a mission.

He laughed as he recalled the good times they had together, but that did little to alleviate the hole he felt inside. His gaze didn't wander off Hinata and for some reason he became a little more enticed as she looked around and removed the jacket that restricted her movements. His mind instantly drew him right back to the same problem he faced on the way back into Konoha.

The blood rushed to his face as he pictured Hinata naked and dancing on the surface of water by a waterfall. He couldn't seem to wipe the portrait out of his mind, yet the only thing that made it worse was wondering what she would think of him if he told her the truth. He remembered that he had told Kiba about it when they continued on their mission; which was the reason why Hinata had been steaming, she was blushing so much.

At the time, he just figured she had a bit of a fever from not sleeping enough. However, she'd probably die from embarrassment if he told her he'd figured it out. He sighed and felt his erection throb as it seemed to point at his friend outside.

"I need to get some lunch," he said and got into his clothes that were laid out on the desk.

He noticed how worn his clothes were from the trip back to Konoha and figured it'd be alright to go and buy a new pair or two to be able to go out. He opened his room door a crack and peeked out to make sure no one was outside. Tsunade had told him that someone would be watching over him, which meant he wouldn't even see them most likely.

Naruto had given up on the idea that he could escape with no one noticing. Besides, it was an expense of energy he wasn't willing to pay. He walked out the door and made his way to the front gate. It was fortunate that he left later in the day, since Tsunade and Shizune would be at the Hokage tower dealing with village issues.

He walked out the front door and followed the dirt path to the front gate. It seemed that fortune wasn't entirely on his side when he noticed Kakashi sitting at the front gate with Yamato beside him. They seemed to be discussing something of importance, yet they silenced as he approached and looked at Yamato instead of Kakashi.

"I'm going to Ichiraku," Naruto stated and waited for them to let him out.

Yamato gave a concerned look to Kakashi who opened the gate up for him.

"I'll escort you."

"No," Naruto shouted.

His voice didn't sound so much like a demanding child, but more a spited friend.

Kakashi had thought for a moment to argue with the male, though he really couldn't fault him with how he felt. The betrayal wasn't intended, but that didn't change the fact that it happened. The Jounin decided to yield for the time being and would fix the issue later, if there was any hope to do so.

"Yamato," Kakashi said and the man immediately knew the change in plan.

Naruto strolled right out the gate and Yamato followed directly behind him. The jounin was glad that his face was mostly covered as an exasperated sigh escaped his throat. Naruto had shut himself off from others and that wasn't unexpected, since he had done the same when Obito had died.

"_Guess I'll need to wait," _he thought as a sudden idea struck his mind.

"Shadow clone technique," he said as a similar ninja popped into existence and vanished in a swirl of leaves.

The cyclops decided to go and check on Hinata, since Naruto was in capable hands.

* * *

Naruto couldn't take being in such close proximity to Yamato who had been kind enough to keep his mouth shut along the walk to Ichiraku. It was a welcomed silence, yet Naruto seemed to struggle with the lack of sound due to his inner perversions running rampant.

"_What is wrong with me,"_ he wondered as he began to power walk to end the constant image of a nude Hinata dancing in his mind.

It was a relief to part the cloth flaps at the doorway and be enveloped by the sweet scent of ramen. He felt his body respond with joy as his stomach gurgled in want to be filled again. Ayame lit up to see him back at his home away from home, but instead of drawing attention to it went into the back and grabbed a bowl of miso ramen.

Naruto didn't have a second to sit down and gather his thoughts before a bowl of food rested before him. He looked at Ayame who offered him a smile and walked off without a word. It really was like a home away from home.

He still didn't feel the best, and it showed with how audibly he slurped the noodles. His manners left much to be desired, though the other customers didn't mind at all.

He couldn't remove his face from the bowl of ramen before him as his mind was now too heavy with thought. He just couldn't seem to escape the thought of seeing Hinata naked at the waterfall all those years prior. That, and he honestly wondered if that was why she seemed to practically fume as he talked to Kiba about it.

His face dropped as he tried to understand the reason that she had even been there that night. Granted, he did happen upon her by accident, but it wouldn't excuse the fact he saw the outline of her nude body. His cheeks burned as the image of her seemed scorched into his retinas. He had never once seen a woman bare and that was another mile stone in his life that had accidentally been taken from him.

He shook his head as he recalled his first two kisses, the first with Sasuke and the second with that hair monster lady. The thought of those kisses made him feel a caustic vomit flow back up from his throat and into his mouth. He tried to shake his head hard enough to break those random thoughts free, but it only made him see Hinata's now developed body dancing on water.

"_Why can't I get Hinata out of my head? And why do I want to see her naked,"_ he thought and abruptly came to a halt.

The perverted thoughts were starting to get to him with how they all attacked him at once.

He held his head with both hands and wanted to slump down into the ramen bowl to try and drown the thoughts.

"Naruto," said a tenor voice that made him jump a bit, since it had been some time.

A male with a scar across the ridge of his nose stood at the entrance to the ramen stand. He had his brown hair up in a pony tail and was garbed in a blue set of pants and shirt with a Konoha chunin combat vest on top.

"Iruka," Naruto asked and couldn't restrain the smile he had in seeing his only "family" member.

Sakura and Kakashi had been moved out of that category, at least until they made it up to him somehow.

Iruka was surprised to see Naruto smile at him, but the expression was short lived as it wilted when he turned back toward the counter top. It wasn't some coincidence that he stopped by the ramen stand. A familiar jounin stopped by the academy and asked him to speak with Naruto. Kakashi wouldn't explain what it was about, but he could tell it was a serious matter. That was the reason he had excused his students and came directly over.

"I'm glad to see that you are eating well," Iruka chuckled as he approached and took his place in the seat next to Naruto.

"Yeah," Naruto grumbled as he slurped up the broth from the bowl and pushed it away.

Iruka saw immediately that there was a problem, since Naruto was taking his time eating. He knew from the last few times of treating him to ramen that he practically inhaled the food.

"How is your training coming," he probed with a neutral subject to get his spirit up before he dug deeper.

Naruto didn't answer and it troubled him when the male practically ate and breathed his training. Iruka wondered if being subtle was the best idea; but he decided that, with Naruto, being blunt was the optimal decision.

"What's wrong," Iruka asked and noticed the way Naruto put his face forward to think about what had occurred.

"_Does he know,"_ Naruto pondered as he looked directly into Iruka's face.

Iruka didn't seem to have a clue as to what could be bothering him, though as a teacher he may not have been told.

"Sakura," he groaned and had to drag his teeth along his tongue as her name seemed to cause a bitter taste.

"Did you get rejected again," Iruka asked a bit surprised that being turned down by the same female again could get him so low.

Naruto sighed and secretly hoped that it had been so simple. Being rejected felt like a relaxing time at the hot spring compared to the knife he felt in his back.

"She's pregnant…with Sasuke's child," he huffed and caused his former teacher to jump at the comment.

Iruka had been told that a special prisoner had come into the village. However, he didn't think it could've been Sasuke.

"With…how?"

"I don't know…but he's dead," Naruto explained as quietly as he could so that only Iruka heard him.

He wasn't sure if Tsunade had told the entire village about the revival of the Uchiha clan. Therefore, he had to be cautious about who he told and where he said anything.

Iruka had no idea what to say or how to talk about it. He felt probably just as shocked as Naruto, especially since he had watched all three of them become viable Konoha ninja. The information began to fully process and he finally found his mind clear enough to ask another question.

"You're mad at Sakura aren't you?"

"Maybe."

"Have you talked with her about the child?"

"Why should I? She got what she wanted."

"So you just plan to ignore her for the rest of your life?"

"No," he huffed and put on a childish face that Iruka recognized from his earlier years playing pranks and getting caught.

It was sad to see that Naruto may have been growing into a man, but that didn't necessarily mean that he matured into an adult. However, Iruka knew that he couldn't force Naruto to do anything he didn't want. Although, there was always the path of reason.

"Naruto, you'll need to forgive her eventually," he said and noticed how the blonde turned and gave him a why expression.

"Otherwise, you'll need to be prepared to lose another teammate," Iruka added and noticed how that did seem to cut deep.

Naruto grumbled and decided to give it some deeper thought. He was angry at Sakura-chan, but that didn't mean that he wanted her to leave him alone forever. It had taken a few years for them to really become close friends, yet that child inside her threw his emotions off. Inside of her rested what little remained of Sasuke. That alone made him want to protect it, but he still wasn't able to get past the fact the information was kept from him.

He squirmed in his chair as the thought of a baby led to a particular naked friend and caused him to sweat profusely. Iruka noticed the abrupt change of mental state and wondered if the male had realized he'd forgotten something immensely important.

"Something else on your mind," Iruka questioned now determined to fix whatever was wrong.

Naruto mulled the idea over in his mind, but no matter how he started it just seemed to go wrong. It took him a minute to fully come up with the best way to say it without coming off as some weird pervert.

"What does it mean when someone dreams about you?"

Iruka had to inhale at the question not certain how to approach such a thing, since the question was quite a bit vague.

"Why do you ask?"

"H..someone I know dreams about me...what does that mean?"

"Is this someone a female," he asked to ensure he didn't give the wrong advice.

"Yes," 'Naruto responded perplexed.

Iruka pondered for a moment and tried to come up with the best example that Naruto would understand.

"Well, what is it that you dream about Naruto?"

"Ramen."

"Now, how do you feel about ramen?"

"I love ramen," Naruto responded.

Iruka took a moment to look at Naruto and saw the gears of his mind slowly process and make the connection. Then a sudden look of shock and a flush of red indicated the completion.

"_And the last horse crosses the finish line_," Iruka inwardly laughed as he ate some of the ramen in his bowl.

Naruto felt his face burn like an inferno as his brain began to make all the connections he had failed to see. Hinata dreamed about him so...she...his mind went blank as he spilled a fresh bowl of ramen onto the floor and didn't even flinch his eyes as the dish fragmented.

Iruka wondered if maybe the influx of information was far too rapid for him to live through. However, he decided to try and clarify the situation before Naruto started to foam at the mouth, brain dead.

"I can't say that the person you're thinking of loves you, but there are probably some feelings," he said and noticed how Naruto appeared to return to a normal shade as he stopped blushing.

He sighed, but the comment only seemed to offer more questions. He had dreamed about Hinata, which would mean that he had feelings for her. Though, he had dreamed about Sakura and Sasuke and he loved them both...as friends only. However, was that the same feeling he had toward Hinata?

Naruto decided to snip that line of thought and asked another question that had plagued him. Ayame had brought a new bowl of ramen to him and a cloth to start cleaning up the mess the male made.

"What does a woman mean when she asks what your intentions are?"

Ayame nearly dropped the ramen bowl as she placed it safely on the counter top. Iruka hadn't been as fortunate as he had been mid process of drinking his ramen broth. He did his best to stifle a gag, but wasn't able to fully restrict it as he felt some of the salty broth move into his nasal cavity. He forcibly swallowed and gave a gasp of relief when the pressure in his chest lowered.

He looked at Naruto with a concerned stare, but felt something hanging from his nose. He touched it and came to realize a single strand of noodle had gone in his mouth, but come out of his nostril. Iruka covered his face with his left hand and slowly began to remove the obstruction with his right. The feeling of the salty noodle against his mucosal surfaces made him shiver and gag as it was fully removed.

He wiggled from the sensation and, finally back to his senses, spoke to the younger male.

"Naruto, don't you remember that special class you attended during the academy," Iruka chocked and wondered how he couldn't recall that.

"Special class about what?"

"The one that dealt with relationships between a man and woman."

Naruto thought for a second to see if he could account for any day of his life where that was the main topic. It took a minute, but he finally recalled the reason why he couldn't remember that day.

"Oh yeah, I was sick that day, so I didn't show up."

Iruka felt his face pale when he realized Naruto hadn't been given "the talk" yet. It was beyond him how this mistake wasn't dealt with, since every male and female in the academy had to go through the sex education before they graduated. He rubbed his face as he recalled that it wasn't his job to teach that to the students. That responsibility had fallen onto Mizuki.

Iruka inhaled deeply when he realized how this had occurred. Naruto was still seen as the kyubbi back then and Mizuki didn't report him not being in attendance. Not to mention, the lack of friends he had meant that no one probably cared that he hadn't shown up.

"I think I'll need to discuss a few things with you," Iruka stated, but knew that he himself hadn't taught such material as it embarrassed him to do so.

It would be a grueling experience for the two of them, since he knew he'd fumble over his own words without fail. However, when he thought about the other two potential senseis he had to teach him, there wasn't any other choice. Kakashi would probably just hand him a copy of his perverted book and let him figure it out. Jiraiya was a scary thought as he could just imagine the man buying Naruto a whore and saying he was going to "give him live experience."

"Alright, Iruka-sensei," Naruto said and it felt good for both of them to say that again.

"Naruto, the Hokage made it clear you were to be back on the grounds before sundown," Yamato spoke from outside the business.

Naruto groaned and got out of his seat, since he was due back in his proverbial prison cell.

"Sorry, Iruka-sensei. I guess we'll talk later," he said as he walked outside to be escorted back by Yamato.

Iruka let his head slump down to the table top and knew if he could get through teaching the vulgar parts of male and female anatomy it would need to be a miracle.

Naruto walked back to the Hokage's estate with Yamato in front of him, but he couldn't place what exactly the special class would have been about. It never really seemed like such a huge deal for him, especially when no one seemed to mind that he missed out.

Yamato had kept his mouth shut for most of the trip, yet he had heard the entire conversation between Naruto and Iruka. He didn't want to overstep his bounds, but it seemed like a tragedy that Naruto wasn't informed as to what a more loving adult relationship entailed. However, Naruto's curiosity got the better of him and he decided to ask a few questions.

"What do those special classes at the academy teach?"

"The fundamentals of a mature relationship," Yamato replied and noticed that his explanation hadn't really provided any clarification.

Naruto's mind started to make different connections, but the one that came to mind first was that it would help him in getting a girlfriend. He seemed a bit steamed that he had missed out on such important information, especially when everyone else seemed to be getting into relationships. It was important information that he didn't want to miss out on any longer, but he'd need to wait until tomorrow when he could see Iruka-sensei again.

Yamato thought on the matter and decided to help the male along.

"The Hokage's library should have a book that covers that."

"Really? Wait, why would a fundamentals book be inside of the Kage's library?"

"Naruto, the library at the Kage's tower doesn't change as it has sensitive information and forbidden jutsu. However, the one at the mansion changes to meet the preferences of each Hokage," Yamato stated and noticed how Naruto seemed to run ahead of him with the vigor he commonly carried.

"Show me," he shouted and felt a bit lighter.

* * *

*Hokage's Library*

They had entered into the room and weren't surprised by the gargantuan number of books that were spread throughout a series of book shelves. Each one had five shelves and they were packed with more books than he thought possible to read in a single lifetime. Yamato had been willing to help him find the proper book, but even with his help it took a long time.

An hour passed before Yamato pulled a two inch thick book with a dark green cover and black letters that spelled "Intimate details for ninja."

He blew off the layer of dust on the item and hacked a bit from the cloud that formed about him. The thing looked like it hadn't been touched in years and he seriously wondered why Tsunade even had the book.

Naruto ran up to him and took it in his hands. It was bound to be full of information that would help him in the relationship department, or at least he hoped that it would.

"Thanks," he shouted and ran with it back to his designated room.

Thankfully it appeared that everyone was at dinner, which meant he had a clear dash to his room. That was what he thought until he ran around a corner and narrowly collided with Hinata. She reacted instantly and with a spin on the ball her right foot moved out of the way and somehow managed to balance the platter of food in her hands.

Naruto sighed in relief. Glad that the possible disaster had been averted, he turned around and looked at Hinata and immediately felt his breath leave his lungs. Hinata wasn't in her normal jacket and capris that he had grown so used to. She was in a formal yukata which was white except for some dark red maple leaf pattern along the hem and small little streaks of silver that shone differently as she moved in the light.

Naruto's mouth went dry and he felt a bit uncomfortable around Hinata in her more casual wear. He tried to talk, but for some reason he couldn't help it as he just stared at her clothes and the way it accentuated her hourglass shape. Hinata noticed the deep stare he was giving her and blushed at the attention. It was quite unexpected, but it did feel nice that he was impressed by her reflexes and fluid reaction. That was the reason she thought he was staring at her.

"Sorry," he said and was glad he didn't make her spill the metal platter that had a large white bowl full of something he couldn't exactly pinpoint.

"Naruto-kun, you aren't coming to dinner," she asked concerned that it was really the only time she had seen him over the past two days.

"Huh, no I just went to get something to read before I get some rest," he said still drained emotionally from the recent changes in his life.

"Oh, well I brought you some food in case you were hungry."

Naruto decided to look at the items she brought him to eat. There was a small bowl of rice with a glass top attached that was lined with steam. He looked at the item and was intrigued when she pulled back the top. It looked like a simple soup to him, but there were bean sprouts, chicken, and some other things he couldn't quite make out in the orange brown liquid.

"What is it?"

"Just a family hot pot recipe."

"A family recipe?"

"Yes, there wasn't enough dinner for me to bring you some," she said.

Hinata had thought about it and it wasn't technically a lie. She had visited the kitchen after her long training day and attacked the food that the cook had already prepared. She wasn't able to stop her appetite and before she knew what happened the entire dinner was gone. Therefore, she felt it was her responsibility to feed everyone who she robbed of dinner. Thankfully, there was a large hot pot in which she was able to throw a meal together.

It only took about two hours for the entire meal to cook and by kami's grace the kitchen was stocked with all the ingredients she required. The ability to cook without angry glares from the main and branch house allowed her to relax.

"I didn't want you to get hungry," she struggled to say, but eased as she noticed he looked a bit happier than the last time she saw him.

"Thank you," he said and took the platter with his free hand and tried his best to get the door to his room open. Though, he hadn't planned that too well as both his hands were occupied.

Hinata, thankfully, saw this issue when he took the food and opened it for him.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Yeah," he asked as he entered into the room and put both of his things down on the desk so he could turn around and talk with Hinata.

"Would you like to have lunch with me tomorrow…I would understand if you didn't."

Naruto thought about it and it wouldn't be that bad to enjoy a meal with the one person who hadn't betrayed him. Besides, he could use a good meal before he went to find Iruka-sensei to learn about the relationship details he'd been denied.

"Alright," Naruto said unaware of what the response had on her.

Hinata felt like her heart freeze when she realized he agreed to spend some time alone with her.

"Good night."

"Good night, Naruto-kun," Hinata said and when the door shut, she took a few steps back and had a small burst of joy at his acceptance.

"_I need to make the lunch for tomorrow,"_ she thought and went to her room to get some rest so she could prepare a lunch for him.

Naruto sat on the bed with the book in his arms. He took a deep breath to steady his nerves and finally worked up enough courage to open the first page.

He blinked a few times as it showed a cross-section picture of some body parts that were foreign to him.

"EHHH!?" he shouted loud enough for the entire village to hear as it only seemed to confuse his boggled mind even more.


End file.
